


Fear and Loathing

by ASeasonOfPoison, LunarSinner



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M, Gen, Mentions of Abuse and Assualt, Multi, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-11
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 00:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1448890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASeasonOfPoison/pseuds/ASeasonOfPoison, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarSinner/pseuds/LunarSinner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa Stark in a mad rush to find a place right after she's kicked out of Joffrey Baratheon's life answers an advertisement in the newspaper. What happens when Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane become roommates?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Free

**Author's Note:**

> We're switching writing POVs every so often, and we both hope you enjoy this!  
> We'd love if you tried to guess who wrote who.  
> This story has us scheming like crazy. (;

**_\- Sansa’s POV -_ **

  
Sansa tried to ignore the scars on her body while she showered, she really did. She tried to ignore the feeling of their presence on her back as she ran the washcloth over them as gently as she could. She tried not to look at the word carved into her left thigh as she washed it tenderly, but the marks were still as fresh on her mind as the day she’d gotten them. She bit her lip, and continued to hold back the tears that for too long had been trying to force their way out. While she wanted to cry, she would not waste a tear and satisfy them –  _him_  – whether he knew of it or not.   
  
 _It was finally over_.  
  
When one of the other women he went off gallivanting with became pregnant – she was tossed aside. The woman was  _smarter_  than her, had  _more money_ than her and was suddenly a much better option for him, and his future. She was tossed out like the trash.  _And she had never been happier_. She was free. Free for the first time in over a year. _She was free_.  
  
Her parents would worry if she stayed at the hotel room for too long, and they could come to see her.  _They couldn’t see her_. Not until the weight she lost had returned to her (she didn’t even want to know how much weight she’d actually had lost), and not until the bruise on her cheek healed – _at the least_. They’d be suspicious when she would show up, and refused to wear the tank tops and backless dresses she used to adore. How she would now refuse to go swimming with the rest of the family – _Sansa loved to swim_. They would be suspicious when she flinched away from the boys, and their over eagerness and hugs. They would find the scars, look at her with nauseating pity and try to fight  _him_.  
  
He had threatened her enough times that she knew he would follow through with them. She was to keep quiet or very  _terrible_ things would happen to her family. Like what happened to that one maid she liked or Lady, her beautiful dog. Sansa bit her lip again and finished washing off the hotel soap before she turned off the shower. She quickly wrapped a towel around her head, so her wet hair wouldn’t drip all over the place, and then one around her body too.

Stepping out of the shower she heard her phone began to ring and swiftly made her way to where it sat on the sink. She recognized the number as the one she had called earlier about the ad for the new roommate, and she quickly answered after clearing her throat.  
  
“Hello?” She practically sung the word, full of polite cheeriness hoping to win over whoever it was so she’d get the room.  
  
“Sansa, is it? You called about the ad?” Her sing-song voice was a deep contrast to the rough, metal grinding voice at the other end of the phone.  
  
“Yes, I did.” She toned down the cheeriness a little bit, just in case she was going a bit overboard.  
  
“Why do you want it?” Sansa raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Excuse me?” She blinked as she readjusted the towel around her body with her free hand.  
  
“Why do you want the room?” She couldn’t help but snort at the question.  
  
“So I have a place to live?  _I’d rather not live at a hotel that’s seventy dollars a night while I’m taking classes_.” She retorted.  
  
“Fair enough. I’ll text you the address. Have your shit in by Sunday so you can pay this month’s rent.” Sansa stared at the phone wordlessly in disbelief when she realized the man had hung up on her – but shrugged her shoulders as she sat down her phone.  _She had a home again_.  _A place to call her own_. She grinned stupidly into the mirror before she started to dry her long auburn hair. She glanced down when the text alert on her phone went off.  
  
She reached for her phone and went to her messages to find the same number listed. Clicking it the message appeared – an address and nothing more. Not even her new roommate’s name. She furrowed her brow before setting the phone back down. She’d start moving in the next day – name or not, because she really didn’t want to spend another seventy bucks on this dreadful room.

  
**_\- Sandor’s POV -_ **

   
Ignoring his cell phone ringing in his pocket, Sandor took a large sip of his black coffee. Licking his lips and savoring the taste he let out a soft groan as the warmth of the drink spread throughout his body. Another long night of drinking himself onto oblivion until he passed out on his couch had left him with a scandalizing hangover.

His phone ringing didn't help at all, in fact it almost infuriated him.

 _Who the fuck would be calling at this bloody hour?_ He crinkled his nose at the thought, taking another sip of his coffee. Sitting at his dining room table, he glanced over the newspaper and suddenly remembered that he had put an ad in the Kings Landing Tribute that he was looking for a roommate.

It wasn't like him at all to want someone living with him; in fact he dreaded the idea of someone moving into his house, using his appliances and sleeping under his roof. After he had quit working for that fucking prick, he had found work at a construction company. The people he worked with didn't give a shit what he looked like, as long as he was strong enough to manage the equipment and do the job correctly the first time.

He had helped with building new homes, job sites for new complex buildings and even new strip malls. The pay was good, but not even close to what he was getting paid from his last job. Having lived with making that kind of money for years had made it hard for him to change his routine and spending habits.

Before he had quit, he had decided to buy his own bloody house. He also had made the choice to hire people to build it, because he hated the way the other houses on the market looked.

Not only did he buy a piece of property that was far back in the woods - but still close enough to make a trip to the local grocery store - he had wanted his house to resemble himself and what he liked. He had a two car garage built for his motorcycle and his truck, his house was two stories, a bedroom upstairs with its own bathroom along with a loft area that he converted into his own little guys night game room. He had a large pool table and a poker table for whenever Bronn and the guys came over to visit to smoke cigars and have a couple of beers. 

The master bedroom was downstairs as well with his own bathroom. There was a living room with a large and long sectional couch; along with a sixty five inch flat screen LED television for him to watch his movies. Plus he also had surround sound built in, to make it feel like he was at the theaters. The kitchen was fairly large and had marble top counters and a marble top island that he used as a mini bar. The dining room was a decent size, he had a small round cherry wood table that could fit four people. His walls were plain, never finding any use in decorating.

But all these things added up in the long run, and he didn't want to lose his home and everything that he had worked for to own. Bronn had suggest that he should find a roommate to help pay the bills. It had taken Sandor a long time to come around to the idea, and the first roommate he had was a fucking prick. He had come home early from work one day and found the guy in his own room, searching for something good to steal or pawn off for whatever. Sandor almost beat the living shit out of him, but instead he ran upstairs and grabbed whatever his roommate owned and threw it down stairs.

Then he walked down stairs, the guy was too afraid to do anything and was standing still in shock as he watched Sandor pick up his things and throw it outside on the lawn.

_"Get the fuck out and don't come back."_

Ever since that situation, he had been very particular as who would be living with him. His phone beeped snapping him out of his thoughts and letting him know he had a new voice mail.  Sighing, he checked his messages and pressed the phone up to his good ear to listen to the message.

_"Hello, my name is Sansa Stark and I was calling about your ad in the paper about you looking for a roommate? I'm very interested in what you have listed, if you could please call me back at eight six seven, four four three six; I would really appreciate it. Thanks, have a good day, bye."_

Blinking, Sandor replayed the message to make sure he heard everything correctly. He wasn't expecting a girl to call, he didn't really picture a girl living with him as a roommate either. But he needed the help with the money,  _badly_. 

Deciding to cook up some bacon and eggs, he debated whether or not to call this Sansa person back. 

_Stark... Stark.... Where have I heard that name before?_

Then it clicked in his head, the name Ned Stark; Robert's old war friend. Sandor smirked thinking about Ned, he was an honorable man, and too trusting. But… He was a good person. He knew Ned had kids, but he couldn't remember what their names were... If Sansa was related to Ned Stark, then he'd know if he could trust her or not. Knowing Ned he raised his kids with honor and respect, unlike Robert who degraded his sons any chance he could get.

After he was finished cooking, he sat down to eat. Still thinking about how sweet this Sansa girl sounded over the phone. Even if she wasn't related to Ned Stark, it would be nice to have some female company around. Sandor looked around the house noticing some dust here and there. _Females were known to be clean freaks right? Maybe she'll end up helping with cleaning the house._

Swallowing his last piece of bacon, he smirked. His headache was long gone and the more he thought about having a woman living with him rather than another man, the more he liked the idea.  He dialed Sansa's number back, biting down on the inside of his cheek. He felt oddly nervous, and he hated talking over the phone. He'd rather fucking text.

"Hello?" The woman answered in an overly sweet voice that almost made his stomach turn. He wasn't used to woman talking to him like that. Only when they wanted his money or if they slurred because they were so drunk.

"Sansa, is it? You called about the ad?" He asked, just why would a woman want to live with him anyways? _Was this some kind of a jape or a prank call?_ He knew that the world was full of assholes and cunts. If this girl was serious about moving in, then he would make sure of it. 

"Yes I did." She replied gently.

"Why do you want it?" He felt his lips curl up in a snarl.

"Excuse me?" She asked, he had to admit she sounded adorable. 

"Why do you want the room?" He almost laughed as he heard her snort in response.

"So I have a place to live? I'd rather not live at a hotel that's seventy dollars a night while I'm taking classes." She explained, he could hear the slight frustration in her voice.

Hell, he'd be frustrated too spending that much on a night while sleeping in a shitty hotel. He thought of the expenses of the dorms at the Universities and frowned, he knew they could be pricey as well. Maybe this girl really was sincere about living with him, he glanced at the calendar. This Sunday was the first Sunday of the month.

"Fair enough," Not wanting to talk anymore he decided to end the conversation so he could get ready for work, "I'll text you the address, have your shit in by Sunday so you can pay this month's rent." Without waiting to hear her reply, he hung up.   
  
Feeling his face twitch as he smiled, he texted her his address. Now all he had to do was wait and see if she would show up. If she did show up and move in with him, he was curious as to how long she would stay. Letting out a sigh, he cracked his neck, he was curious to meet this  _Sansa Stark._


	2. Keys

_**-Sansa's POV -** _

_**  
**_The navy blue duffle bag made crinkling noises as Sansa hurriedly packed up her clothes from the night before, shampoo and conditioner. Sighing, she sat down on the corner of the extremely firm mattress. Placing her hands in her lap, she looked down at her worn sneakers.

_I need new shoes._

Glancing to her two duffle bags, and her laptop bag she frowned. While moving out of Joffrey's, he wouldn't let her leave with most of her belongings. During his tantrums he would destroy anything she owned that he knew that was important to her. Mostly jewelry her mother and father had given her, he had ripped up photos of her family and of Lady. He even cut a scarf her grandmother made her into ragged pieces and had strewn them around her room.

He tried so hard to break her down, he tried so hard to take away everything she ever loved. Even when she used to sing, he used to beat her until she finally just stopped singing all together. That didn't mean she didn't have the songs stuck in her head, replaying the lyrics daily to make herself smile when she was alone.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she texted the man she was now going to be sharing a house with. 

'Is it okay if I come by today and bring my stuff? I don't have a lot, but the sooner the better would be great.'

Letting out a soft sigh, Sansa fell onto her back onto the itchy blankets that had kept her up the night before. She felt her phone vibrate on her lap, and it made her jump slightly. Licking her lips she checked the message.

'Sure.'

She frowned, but texted back; 'Okay, I'll head over there now then.' She placed her phone in her front pocket.  _He sure was a talker... Hope this isn't going to be some god awful experience... All I want is a place to call my own_ , she sighed softly.

Sitting up and scooting off the bed, she walked over to her duffle bags and bent down to pick them up. As she was slinging the straps over her shoulders, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Picking up her laptop bag and making her way out of the hotel room, she checked her cell phone with her free hand as she walked to the main office to return her key card.

'Okay.'

Raising her eyebrow and clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, she decided not to text the man back. Popping open her trunk to her car, she gently placed her laptop bag into the trunk, and then moved the duffle bag straps off her shoulders and placed them into the trunk as well. Before heading into her car, she checked out her reflection in the rear view mirror. Making sure the make-up was still hiding her bruise, and that her hair looked okay. She had left it down, enjoying the feel of it gently flowing with the gusts of wind.

She almost didn't recognize herself in the mirror, she looked so different from just a few days ago. Her eyes were shining bright, her skin wasn't as pale, and she walked with a sense of freedom and happiness. 

_It's so odd, it's like... It's like I don't really know myself anymore._

Getting into her car and pulling up a GPS app on her cell phone she typed in the address the man had given her. She waited for the directions to load as she started up her car. She glanced down at her outfit, some jean pants and a black oversized hoodie that once belonged to Jon. She hoped it would hide how skinny she truly was. Normally she would have weighed around between 130 to 135 pounds, but now she weighed just around 100. 

All of the clothes she owned seemed large on her, but she didn't want to stay this skinny, she wanted to look like the way she used too.

 _Even though that will never happen._ She bit her bottom lip at her thoughts as she pulled out of the parking lot and followed the directions from the GPS, it would only take about forty five minutes to get to the house if there wasn't any traffic. 

 _Lucky for her,_  there wasn't much traffic at all, roads seemed to be clear as the sky. 

She made a left turn, turning away from the main highway and onto a dirt path. After a few more turns, she realized she was actually going up the driveway to the house. Looking around while driving slowly, she noticed all the birds and squirrels in the trees. There weren't any houses nearby at all, which made her  _extremely nervous_.

She could see the house and she got a little closer, it was a two story house that looked almost like a cottage. It was made out of logs, bricks, and what looked like river rocks. There was a two car garage and a large man with long dark hair was working outside on a motorcycle in jeans and a white shirt. He must have noticed her pulling up because he stopped what he was doing and pointed to the smaller of the second doors of the garage. She pulled forward and parked inside the garage, noticing all the tools on the walls and a large truck that was parked on the opposite side of her car.

Turning off her car, she unbuckled her seat belt and slowly clenched her fists and unclenched them. Taking a deep breath, she gathered up the courage to meet the large man who was to be her roommate. Opening up her car door, she got out of her car and slowly closed the door behind her. The man was watching her with an intense gaze. She smiled softly, swallowing a lump of fear in her throat.

Walking over to the man she held out her hand and smiled up at him, "Hello, I'm Sansa Stark." She looked up at his face and noticed that he had a large scar that looked like a burn that covered almost half of his face. He had brushed most of his hair to fall to that side of the face to try and hide the burn.

"I figured." He spoke out in a dark raspy voice that almost made her body shiver. He nodded at her, "Sandor. Sandor Clegane." She froze as she heard his last name, _please don't let this man be anything like the man Gregor Clegane._

He scowled as he watched her eyes filled with fear, "What's the matter girl? Afraid of my face?" He snarled, awakening her from her thoughts. 

She looked up at him, looked at his scar and then looked at him in the eyes while shaking her head  _I'm afraid of a monster; not scars on a man's face_ , "We've all got scars Sandor, some just can't be seen."  _And hopefully he'll never have to see mine._ She smiled brightly, he seemed surprised by her answer but grunted.   
  
"That's it?" His eyebrow raised.

"Yeah…" She sighed as she popped her trunk pulling out her duffle bags and her laptop bag. "I told you I don't have much…" She said just above a whisper. The man tilted his head but walked towards her as she shut her trunk. 

"Here, give me a bag, I'll show you to your room." He grunted as she smiled softly in return. "Don't get any ideas, I just don't need you tripping and hurting yourself before you even moved into the damn place." He scowled as he lifted up both duffle bags like they were pillows.

_No need to be such a jerk._  She rolled her eyes but followed him into the house. "I guess I'll be going out later to pick up some food... or furniture." She mumbled as they walked past his large kitchen and walked into the living room. She noticed the large couch, the surround sound system and the very large flat screen television.

_She almost forgot what it was like to be in an actual home and not a prison._

Sandor started walking up a flight of stairs, and she followed him without saying a word. "My bedroom is downstairs, never go in there. You already said you'll be buying your own food which is great so I can skip over the  _'don't eat my food'_ speech."

"Uhh... Yeah… I figured that. You know, your home, your food… that kind of thing." Sansa furrow her brows as she glanced over to the large pool table and poker table. Sandor stopped and looked at what caught her attention.

"Sometimes I have a few guys over for some drinks a games, hope that doesn't bother you." Sandor growled as he walked down a hall, heading towards a room.

"Not really, that's pretty cool. I used to play pool with my brothers back home." She smiled, Sandor looked surprised by her response but opened up the door, 

"Here's your room. There's already a bed and a walk in closet... And a nightstand or whatever. It's not much but it's whatever." He shrugged, watching her for a response.

She walked inside the room and she felt her heart beating in her chest. 

_This was hers now. This was her home. And it was perfect._

"Thanks!" Sansa jumped up and down in excitement as she turned towards Sandor, he placed her bags on her bed. 

"It's just a room." He chuckled and crossed his arms over his large chest.

"It's so much more than that, you have no idea!" She giggled and played with her keys. "Now I just have to get some curtains and a new bedspread… and my own television, oh and food..." She rambled to herself in excitement.

"You sure you can fit  _all that_ in your fucking car?" He growled out, raising his one eyebrow.

"Umm... I might have to take a few trips..." She said softly, trying to make a mental list of everything she wanted to get. "Oh! And just to let you know, I am a full time student… But I also work part time at the medical clinic downtown... Sometimes I work really late at night, and I might come home around three in the morning..." Sansa shrugged, "I'll try to be super quiet though."

"I'll probably be up anyways." He smirked and pulled out a key from his pocket, "Here's the house key. I have to make a copy for the key to the garage, I should have it by this weekend."

Sansa took the key and stared at it in wonder, relief, and excitement. She felt like she was going to explode she was so... _Happy.  
_

 

**_-Sandor's POV-_ **

 

Sandor finished wiping down the kitchen counter and leaned against it, rolling his neck to crack it. He’d cleaned up a little bit once he got home from work, not wanting the scare this Sansa girl too fucking much with his mess. The common rooms between them - the kitchen, halls and living room where all fucking spotless. He needed her rent money for his next mortgage payment and he needed it badly.  
  
He glanced over at the coffee table when he heard his phone vibrate against the wood and slowly made his way over to it. Picking it up he found a text from the little she-devil herself.  
  
'Is it okay if I come by today and bring my stuff? I don't have a lot, but the sooner the better would be great.'  
  
He licked his lips and smirked. At least the girl could take a hint. He fucking hated talking on the phone. Though, it could be that she was just nervous or something. Well then, Sandor Clegane did bite just as hard as his bite was loud, he couldn’t blame her if he scared her outright when she got there. He was a very intimidating man between his scars and height alone. He texted his response with one hand while he threw a blanket that Bronn’s lazy ass had left on his couch the last time he’d been over.  
  
‘Sure.’ He wasn’t much of a talker and he hoped _Little Miss Sunshine_ or whoever wasn’t as well. Talkers pissed him the fuck off. He stuffed his phone down into his pocket and went to throw Bronn’s blanket in the washing machine. He didn’t fucking know where that sarcastic piece of shit had been lately, and he didn’t really want to know.

He was pouring in the detergent when his phone vibrated against his leg. He ignored it until after he’d shut the washer’s door and turned the damn thing on. Pulling his phone from his pocket he saw it was _Sansa_ again. He groaned lightly. The damn bird was a fucking talker, huh?  
  
'Okay, I'll head over there now then.’  
  
He shook his head, why the fuck was he nervous over some lass anyways? He was a fucking man. He could handle a little girl. Ned Stark wasn’t an old fuck – this girl had to be just out of fucking school or some shit, though she had sounded like a full grown woman over the phone. He tried to think of what she might look like, but a sudden image of Ned fucking Stark in drag made him gag a little. He tossed those thoughts away shortly afterwards.  
  
After another ten minutes of pit-puttering around the house and cleaning up what was mostly Bronn’s shit, _I need to fucking get on him about this shit I’m not his fucking maid_ , Sandor stepped outside for some fresh air and to take a look at his motorcycle that he was pretty sure Bronn had fucked around with. _Why the hell did I give him a fucking spare? Oh right free beer.  
  
_ He could hear the girl’s car before he could see it, nobody could stumble on his place on accident – which was one of the main reasons he’d got a place so far out in the middle of fucking nowhere. He pulled himself away from his bike and motioned for the girl to pull in the smaller of the two garage doors. He waited until the girl had parked before he grabbed a rag, wiped his hands off and walked into the garage to meet her.  
  
When she emerged from the car he was a bit shocked. She wasn’t a girl like he suspected she’d be. She was a slim, leggy thing with long red locks of hair that almost mocked him with how they were the same shade of the fire that had burnt his face to a crisp. He watched as she smiled at him, a fucking woman smiling at him – _that was nearly always a joke_.  
  
"Hello, I'm Sansa Stark." She reached out to fucking shake his hand and he almost snorted at her.  
  
"I figured." He paused before giving his own name, watching as the _woman_ looked up at his face. “Sandor. Sandor Clegane.” He scowled as the girl became nervous instantly and snarled at her.  
  
"What's the matter girl? Afraid of my face?" He watched as she snapped out of whatever fucking place her mind had taken her. He was surprised when she looked right back u at him, while lowering her hand and shaking her head.  
  
"We've all got scars Sandor, some just can't be seen." Her answer surprised him further, he grunted in response when he couldn’t think of anything to say in return.   
  
“That’s it?” He meant to mock her a little but she shrugged it off.  
  
"Yeah…" She sighed, popping her trunk and pulling out her duffle bags as well as her laptop bag. "I told you I don't have much..." She said it just above a whisper which cause him to get curious very quickly. He tilted his head and started towards her, realizing that she was pretty tall for a woman, the top of her head reaching his shoulders.  
  
"Here, give me a bag, I'll show you to your room." He grunted and watched as the damn bird smiled at him again. "Don't get any ideas, I just don't need you tripping and hurting yourself before you even moved into the damn place." He scowled at her, hoping that she wasn’t trying to fucking butter her up so he lowered her rent or some shit. He hoisted up her bags and realized quickly that they were only clothes. The damn things probably only weighted ten to fifteen pounds apiece.

He led her into the house and ignored her mostly until she began to speak again, "I guess I'll be going out later to pick up some food... or furniture." She mumbled as they passed the kitchen and into the living room. He turned and began to lead her up the stairs,   
  
"My bedroom is downstairs, never go in there. You already said you'll be buying your own food which is great so I can skip over the  _'don't eat my food'_ speech." _Not that the fucking speech worked_. He grumbled to himself in his head.  
  
"Uhh... Yeah… I figured that... You know, your home, your food… _that kind of thing_." _Thank whatever fucking god was out there he had a smart bird on his hands._ However, listening to her talk he could tell that something else had caught her attention. He followed her eyes over to the loft.  
  
"Sometimes I have a few guys over for some drinks a games, hope that doesn't bother you." He growled as he continued down the hall, readjusting the straps he was carrying just a tad.  
  
"Not really, that's pretty cool. I used to play pool with my brothers back home." He watched the girl smile again and glanced down at her, continuing to be surprise with how fucking often she smiled. At him.  
  
"Here's your room. There's already a bed and a walk in closet... And a nightstand or whatever. It's not much but it's whatever." He shrugged his shoulders before starting for the bed and placing her bags down on it.  
  
"Thanks!" The damn woman was nearly jumping up and down in excitement. His eyes landed on her bouncing chest for a few split seconds but ripped themselves away quickly,  
  
"It's just a room." He couldn’t help but chuckle as the woman’s excitement only grew. It was a change, to see a bird so excited in his presence.   
  
"It's so much more than that, you have no idea!" He listened to her giggle and watched as she began to play with her car keys. "Now I just have to get some curtains and a new bedspread… and my own television, oh and food..." She began to ramble and he quickly found that annoying.

"You sure you can fit  _all that_ in your fucking car?" He growled out growing a bit annoyed, he lifted his eyebrow.

 "Umm... I might have to take a few trips..." She told him softly as she seemed think for a few moments. "Oh! And just to let you know, I am a full time student… But I also work part time at the medical clinic downtown... Sometimes I work really late at night, and I might come home around three in the morning..." _Sansa_ shrugged, "I'll try to be super quiet though."

 "I'll probably be up anyways." He smirked as he pulled out a key from his pocket, "Here's the house key. I have to make a copy for the key to the garage, I should have it by this weekend." The little lass was fucking adorable, he’d give her that much. _Though he wouldn’t mind giving her something more if she ever asked_ … He mentally shook the lewd thoughts from his mind and redirected his attention.

  
The girl was practically clinging to the key and looked so fucking excited his curiosity grew _. What would make a little bird so excited to be living here with a broody old hound like him?_


	3. Brownies

_**\- Sandor's POV -** _   
  


Stepping out of his truck, Sandor let out a deep groan as he stretched out his back and legs from the half hour trip from the job site. He hated working late into the morning; his normal shift was from eight am to six pm, but the company was behind on this job site, and one of his co-workers didn't show up for work. 

 _That guy was a piece of shit anyways._  

So he had to stay until one thirty am, making sure the job was completed. The pay was worth it, but working from eight am til one thirty am took a major toll on his mind and body. Grateful that it was Friday, well, technically it was Saturday morning. He felt his lips twitch as he smiled softly, he was planning on resting the entire weekend; catching up on some much needed rest.

Locking up his truck, he shuffled slowly and tiredly into his home, locking the door behind him. Being close to two in the morning, he didn't expect Sansa to be up and about baking in his kitchen.  
  
 _Well; their kitchen, it had been their kitchen for a couple of weeks now._

Sometimes Sandor would come home to a plate on the counter covered with aluminum foil. His name would be written on a sticky note with a smiley face that was stuck to the foil. All the dishes would be cleaned and Sansa never left a mess from when she used the kitchen. 

Even when he got up in the morning for work and was running late, he'd make himself some breakfast and leave a frying pan and a plate in the sink. Whenever he came home, those dishes were hand washed and put away; ready for the next morning.

The delicious aroma of chocolate fudge brownies hit him hard, he almost moaned at the smell.  _When was the last fucking time he had brownies? Homemade brownies?_

_Not since he was a child, before he was burned._

He never had the patience to bake sweets, he never had a woman bake him sweets either. _Well besides his mother or sister_ , but he tried to block out those memories.

He sighed as he kicked off his damp and filthy shoes by the door. Hearing Sansa humming softly, he strode by the kitchen, nodding at her.

"Oh hey! I thought you were sleeping. I was trying to be really quiet." She grinned, "Long day at work?" She was wearing a light blue tank top and pink fuzzy pajama pants. Her hair was damp from taking a shower and she had it up in a ponytail. She held a large plastic bowl and a large spoon; licking softly at the spoon. She had brownie batter smudged near the corner of her little pink lips. He held back a groan, wanting to lick the batter off her soft looking skin.

Frowning, he walked closer as he noticed as yellow tint on her cheek. At first he thought it was a shadow from the spoon; but as he walked closer to her and got a better look, he noticed it was a bruise.  _Or whatever was left of a bruise.  
  
_ _"What happened?"_ Sandor pointed to her cheek and raised his eyebrow, the yellow tint was fairly large and he couldn't imagine what the original bruise looked like. Narrowing his eyes, he felt furious at the thought of someone laying their hands on someone as nice as the lass. She must have hid the bruise under her makeup, for him not to notice it before.

He watched as Sansa's face quickly changed from joyfulness to horror and then change into a stone mask. 

_"It's not a problem anymore."_  She spoke softly, turning her attention back to her spoon, licking at it gently.

His eyes followed her tongue, he shook his head; "Look, whoever did that to you-"

_"I never said someone did it to me. I could have fallen or gotten into a car accident. Like I said, it's not a problem anymore, so please don't worry about it..."_ She let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. Her lips twitched as she leaned against the counter, "Want some brownie mix?" She asked softly as her tone changed dramatically.

Glaring at the bowl, the little bird already ate most of the brownie mix… there was only not even a whole spoonful left. Letting out a deep chuckle he shook his head, "Maybe next time."

_Little Bird?_ He thought to himself,  _well she did make herself a little nest here._  He smirked as he watched her shrug and eat the rest of the brownie mix. 

Suddenly feeling quite dirty, he felt like needed to take care of himself and take a shower. He must smell from working all day in the heat. "I'll be back shortly." He said as he placed his keys on his marble counter top. His stomach growled at the thought of eating the freshly baked warm brownies.

With his mouth watering, he walked away and headed towards his room to take a warm shower. He wouldn't dare ask her for any brownies, gods know why the hell she was up so late baking anyways. They were her brownies,  _not his,_  after seeing her bruise he decided whatever the hell she went through -  _She needed some happiness_ .

He stripped of his clothes that were damped with his sweat, dirt and probably chunks of paint or concrete. Walking into his bathroom, he sighed as he could still smell the brownies.

Turning on the shower, he stepped into the tub and started to wash his muscled body, rubbing the dirt and paint off of himself.

The little lass was a sweet girl, she never seemed to have anything bad to say about anyone. She wasn't afraid to look at him in the eyes, nor was she afraid of his crude remarks. Sometimes when he woke up in the morning on the living room couch, he'd find one of her blankets on top of him. He must have fell asleep while he was watching a movie or if he passed out on the couch drunk.

He'd always return her blankets though, and she always gave him her warm smile in return.

Even when he found her asleep on her school textbooks, leaning on the dining room table. He'd carry her back up to her room and tuck her into bed. They'd never talk about it, but he knew if he woke up from sleeping in that position; he'd be one cranky asshole. More so than he was to begin with, but he didn't want to deal with a pissy woman.

Something that she never was, he thought she would complain about him leaving dishes in the sink. Hell he would have bitched her out the first time she left dishes in his sink, but she just cooked him a meal and left it for him. Something he wasn't used to, but he liked the change of not eating take out or frozen meals.

He'd never say thank you to her, but on the days he wasn't running late for work, he'd cook her breakfast - well more like two sunny side up eggs - and leave it for her wrapped in aluminum foil. He never cooked a meal for anyone in his life, well except for Bronn - but he'd purposely burn it so the fucker wouldn't ask for a meal again from him.

_Buggering asshole;_  he'd have to call him back now that he thought about it. They were supposed to go out this weekend to a bar. Since today was technically Saturday morning already, he didn't feel up to going out and drinking.

Plus he wasn't so sure how the lass would react to Bronn, or both men bringing home women for the night. Bronn normally would use the guest room, but he'd have to start bringing home women to his own place from now on. Sandor smirked as he thought of Sansa blushing if she saw him walk out of his room in the morning with a random woman.

Rinsing out the shampoo out of his hair, Sandor heard the oven timer go off.  _Brownies must be done,_  he smiled.  _Maybe he could just walk into the kitchen and she'd offer him some?_

With that thought, he quickly turned off the water and he stepped over the side of the tub, grabbing a green towel off the rack. Rubbing his face against the soft towel, his stomach growled again. He didn't even check if she made dinner for him, which he shouldn't expect it.  _It wasn't like she had to do that for him; she wasn't his girlfriend she was just doing something nice for him._

Drying the rest of his body off, he grinned as he had the urge to just walk out there with just the towel wrapped around his waist.  _Nah, it's still too early for that… maybe in a few more weeks._  Grinning, he walked into his room and changed into his favorite pair of red and black plaid boxers. He then put on black pajama pants that were extremely soft. Debating on whether or not to put on a shirt, he decided on walking into the kitchen bare chested. Wondering what the little lass would say or do.

Opening up his bedroom door, he bit his tongue as his eyes almost rolled back behind his head.  _Those fucking brownies smelled so damn good._

His long wet hair clung to his neck and his shoulder, beads of water dripped down his back as he walked back into the kitchen. The pan of brownies was sitting on top of the stove, Sansa was currently cutting small squares.

He walked passed her, almost brushing up against her, and walked to the cabinet to pull out a glass. She looked up at him, saw that he had no shirt on and blushed, turning back to her brownies. He chuckled, letting her know he saw her checking him out. He grabbed the handle on the fridge and gently pulled it open; bending over slightly, he grabbed his gallon of whole milk and closed the door behind him.

 Sansa had her own gallon of two percent in the fridge, he hated two percent and was slightly happy he didn't have to share his milk with her.  _Not that he would really mind sharing his milk.. He just wanted it mostly for his cereal._

He opened up the gallon of milk and poured himself a tall glass. He felt Sansa move behind him, hearing her opening up the fridge door. She placed a plate covered in aluminum foil next to him on the counter. Screwing the cap back onto the milk jug, he frowned and looked up at her. She looked at her feet and then glanced back up at him and smiled, "I made some pork chops earlier. I put your plate away in the fridge because I thought you didn't want it." She said softly.  _Hell, he'd eat anything she baked, cooked, fried, or microwaved._

He chuckled, "You don't have to make me a plate and give me your food you know.  _You don't owe me anything._ "

"I know… but I like to cook a large meal… It reminds me of when I used to cook for my family with my mother." She shrugged, "Want some brownies? They're Hersey's triple dark fudge." Her eyes lit up brightly and she swayed back and forth, rocking from her toes to her heels. Her hands were behind her back and she smiled at him, he smiled back, knowing his scars twisted into a gnarled mess.

"Maybe I  _could_  have a little bit of those brownies." He opened up the fridge and placed his gallon of milk back on the shelf. As he turned around Sansa handed him a plate with a large piece of brownie on it. It was more like a size of a cake than anything, it was huge. Smirking, he knew it would only take him a matter of minutes before he devoured the whole thing.

She had her own little plate with her tiny little chunk of brownie. She nodded at him, looking again at his naked chest before walking passed him. He turned and grabbed he wrist gently, letting out a grunt he cleared his throat. 

 _"I know by looking at the bruise that it wasn't an accident lass, if it happens again you come to me and let me take care of the fucker who dared to touch you like that. Only cowards pick on people who are weaker than them; only pricks pick on women. It's not right and I won't stand for it in my home."_ He explained as he looked at her in the eyes, he watched her as her eyes teared up, she nodded softly as he let go of her wrist.

 _"If anyone hurts you again like that, I'll kill them. I can promise you that much."_ He grabbed the brownie and took a large bite,  _"This shit is so fucking good."_  He walked away from her shocked little frame and walked into the living room and placed his plate down on the coffee table. He walked back slowly into the kitchen and picked up his plate of dinner Sansa made for him and his glass of milk before walking back into the living room.

He watched as Sansa sat at the dining room table and munched on her brownie, licking her lips and savoring the wonderful taste.

"What made you make these damn things in the first place lass?" Sandor took a large sip of his milk, licking at his upper lip. 

"I passed one of my tests today, I thought I would celebrate." She laughed as he raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Your teachers should give you tests every damn day if that's how you celebrate." He chuckled, heading towards the coffee table,  _prepared to feast upon his goodies that the little lass has spoiled him with._  
  


_**\- Sansa's POV -** _   
  


Sansa spooned out some more of the brownie batter and moaned softly as it hit her tongue. _That test she thought she’d fail for sure she’d managed to get an A on._ She was celebrating, treating herself to delicious brownies and even better batter. She licked the spoon to make sure she got all of it. _None of it was going to slip by her_. She hummed softly to herself as she licked her lips and heard the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming.  
  
 _Huh, I thought he’d just gone to bed early. Must have had to work late. I wonder if he likes brownies…  
  
_ She heard the door open, and sound of Sandor kicking off his work boots but continued to hum and work on cleaning off the spoon with her tongue as the brownies continued to bake. She’d checked her score online just after she hopped out of the shower and couldn’t fall asleep due to her excitement and giddiness. So she had decided to bake brownies.  
  
"Oh hey! I thought you were sleeping. I was trying to be really quiet." She smiled happily at him, "Long day at work?" She was dressed in her favorite pajama pants, pink and fuzzy, Arya had gotten them for her thinking they were ridiculous but Sansa had adored them the second she’d open the box. Her wet hair was up in a ponytail still and she was a little uncomfortable with the feeling of her ponytail soaking up a spot of her light blue tank top.  
  
She raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to her, the neutral expression on his face slipping into a frown. _Had she done something wrong?_   
  
“What happened?” He pointed to her cheek and raised his eyebrow. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the bruise on her cheek and she felt the happiness drain out from her. She tried to hide the horror on her face, but knew it had slipped out. She straightened her jaw to force it back in.  
  
 _"It's not a problem anymore."_  Her voice softer than it had been, she decided to distract herself and fast. She directed her attention back to the spoon, going back to licking it clean.

She could see him begin to shake his head in her peripheral vision, "Look, whoever did that to you-"

 _"I never said someone did it to me. I could have fallen or gotten into a car accident. Like I said, it's not a problem anymore, so please don't worry about it..."_ She sighed, couldn’t he just drop it? She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, _If only he knew._ She leaned against the counter and almost smiled, “Want some brownie mix?” She asked him softly, the happiness in her voice slowly coming back.  
  
She watched him glance down at the bowl, and her smile grew as she heard him chuckle, “Maybe next time.” She shrugged at his words and began to collect the small bit left with her spoon. She popped it into her mouth a hummed softly.  
  
"I'll be back shortly." She watched as he set his keys on the counter and retreated towards his room. She raised an eyebrow but went back to licking her spoon clean.   
  
She frowned when she realized the batter was gone, and went to the sink to wash the bowl and spoon. She heard the shower in Sandor’s bathroom start. _He must have been uncomfortable still in his work clothes,_ She mused as she washed the bowl with lukewarm water and soap, and then the spoon.  
  
She washed off her face just in case batter had found a spot on her face to call home – _home_. Sansa smiled goofily. This was home now.  
  
She made dinner every night for Sandor and herself, and made sure the common areas were clean. She’d found Sandor asleep on the couch a few times and would slip up to her room and slip the quilt her grandmother had made her, over him. _He’d looked really cold that first night she’d found him_ … he returned the favor though, whenever she’d fall asleep studying, he’d return her to her bed.  
  
There were other things too, he’d leave her breakfast some mornings. She’d check his mail for him and leave it attached to the refrigerator with a magnetic clip she’d bought. They’d even watched a few movies together – although it was from opposite sides of the couch, and Sansa had been curled up in one of her blankets like it was a part of her.  
  
Her room was a sanctuary like the sort she’d thought she’d never have again. She had her own bathroom where she could lay out all her makeup and beauty supplies so she could easily find them. All nice and organized without anyone to ruin them or rummage through them. Her bedroom housed a large bed that she could sprawl across and sleep for as long as she want in (as long as she didn’t miss school or work). She had a desk in her room too – its purpose was for homework, but she’d spent the past year hiding away in her room. Now she was free and she wanted to feel that way, so she took to doing her homework at the dining room table.  
  
She finally got to pick out everything that went into her bathroom. No longer was everything a horrid red that clashed with her hair. No, now everything was light blue and soft cool colors she’d craved for so long.   
  
Sansa was jolted from her thoughts as the timer on the oven went off and smiled happily. _The brownies were done!_ She put on her oven mitts and carefully removed the brownie pan from the oven before turning it off. Setting the pan down on top of the oven she waved her protected hand over it in hopes of quickening the cooling process. She heard Sandor’s shower stop. She closed her eyes before she could think about him exiting the shower, _it’s not polite to think of those things_. She chastised herself and turned her attention back towards the brownies, waving her hand over them some more.  
  
Sansa began to cut out the brownies when she felt they had cooled long enough.  She heard Sandor walk into the kitchen and brush lightly past her but ignored him as she cut the squares into the delicious looking brownies. In her peripheral vision she saw Sandor reach out to get a glass and suddenly her focus was stolen from her. She did a double take, though now turning her head. _He was shirtless and droplets of water running off his hair were now rolling down his back._ She felt her cheeks heat up and quickly turned back to the brownies.  
  
 _He didn’t notice. He didn’t notice._ She heard him chuckle at her. _Fuck he noticed._ She cringed as she finished cutting the last piece. That had been highly inappropriate of her. _But he had looked so…  nice…_ She bit at her lip.  
  
He reached into the refrigerator and took his milk out, closing it behind him as he walked over to the counter again. _Oh I should give him his dinner!_  Sansa slipped past him trying to ignore his… _very nice um… features?_ She reached into the refrigerator and fished out his pork chops and closed the door when her mission was complete. He was screwing the cap back onto his milk when she sat his plate down next to him, the aluminum foil covering it had his name and the date written neatly on it.  
  
She didn’t understand why he frowned at her, so she ducked her head down and looked down at her feet momentarily, before looking up with mustered up smile on her face, "I made some pork chops earlier. I put your plate away in the fridge because I thought you didn't want it." She offered her voice soft and sweet.  
  
He chuckled at her, "You don't have to make me a plate and give me your food you know.  _You don't owe me anything._ "

"I know… but I like to cook a large meal… It reminds me of when I used to cook for my family with my mother." She shrugged her shoulders a little, "Want some brownies? They're Hersey's triple dark fudge." She smiled brightly, she could feel her eyes swarming with excitement as her mouth watered. She swayed lightly - back and forth, rocking from her toes to her heels, eager to dig into the brownies herself. Her hands were tucked away behind her back. She watched him smiled back, _he had a lovely smile, it was a shame he didn’t smile more often.  
  
_ "Maybe I  _could_  have a little bit of those brownies." He turned to put his gallon of milk back into the refrigerator and Sansa quickly started to move a big part of the brownie over onto a plate. She had it for him by the time he turned back around and handed the plate over to him while fixing her own plate with a smaller brownie on it. After all – she’d managed to lay waste to all the brownie batter that had been left over… She nodded at him politely, unable to keep her eyes from taking in his shirtless wonder. _Gods that man had a lovely chest, even with all the scars.  
  
_ Her eyes widened as he grabbed her wrist, he even let out a deep grunt as he did so. She glanced up at him quickly as he began to talk to her, _"I know by looking at the bruise that it wasn't an accident lass, if it happens again you come to me and let me take care of the fucker who dared to touch you like that. Only cowards pick on people who are weaker than them; only pricks pick on women. It's not right and I won't stand for it in my home."_ She nodded softly and numbly, eyes tearing up a little as she bit down on her lip. He looked her straight in the eyes and she found herself glancing at almost the exact gray eyes that had hurt her just weeks before. They were so similar in size, shape and color. But they were so different as well… warmer whereas the other pair had been cold and dismal. _And there was a hint of something in these she’d never seen before_ … He let go of her wrist, and she was left surprised with how gentle his grip had been on her.  
  
 _"If anyone hurts you again like that, I'll kill them. I can promise you that much."_ He picked up the brownie from his plate and took a large bite,  _"This shit is so fucking good."_  She couldn’t help but smile at him. Still shaking slightly where she stood. He walked away and into the living room with his plate and his glass of milk, and placed them both on the coffee table. He returned to the kitchen to pick up his pork chops, while Sansa had quickly slipped to the dining room table, still eager to taste what she’d worked so hard on.  
  
She licked her lips and took a bite only to lick her lips again. _They were good,_ She closed her eyes and hummed softly as she enjoyed every little bite she took. 

"What made you make these damn things in the first place lass?" She opened her eyes as she heard Sandor’s voice filter in from the kitchen where he seemed to be reheating his dinner. She couldn’t help the giddiness that slipped right back into her, between the grade she’d made, the warmth traveling to her stomach and the delicious taste in her mouth.  
  
"I passed one of my tests today, I thought I would celebrate." She laughed as she caught him shaking his head from the other room.  
  
"Your teachers should give you tests every damn day if that's how you celebrate." His chuckle ran down her spine in a way she couldn’t comprehend but let out a giggle of her own as he opened and closed the microwave and started towards the living room again.  
  
She mused over his words as she took another bite of her brownie. She’d probably grab another one… but now, at least she knew he liked brownies… _and had a very… lovely chest…_ She blushed to herself and pursed her lips. Yeah, she needed another brownie.


	4. Larry

****_\- Sandor's POV -_  
  


The car ride home was too long for Sandor's taste; it had been a three hour round trip, the day was pretty much over in his eyes. On one of his days off too. The large German Shepherd was extremely well trained, he didn't cry or whine unless he had to relieve himself and was letting his new master know about it. When Sandor pulled over to fill up his tank, - which he really should of done on the way to the trainer, but he was running late from going out shopping for dog food, dog bowls, and a leash - the dog just sat and watched him, didn't bark at others, and didn't chew on anything.

He had always wanted a dog, a good loyal companion; and for some odd reason he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that his roommate seemed like she needed protection. Or a friend. The trainer was an old _'friend'_  of Sandor's, and all the commands he taught the German Shepherd were in German.

The dog was three years old, he had all of his shots and he had an excellent temperament.

Pulling up into his driveway,  _he only hoped the lass wasn't allergic to dogs or if she was okay with him owning one. Not that it mattered to him_ , he turned off his truck and sneered,  _it was his house. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted, if she didn't like the dog then too bad._

_Lars was staying._

Opening up his door he tilted his head and looked at Lars,  _"Hier."_ He rasped out, ordering the dog to come and Lars obeyed, following his new master out of the truck and into the house; his new home.  _"Bleib."_  Sandor pointed at the floor, commanding the dog to stay in the house while he went back out to grab the dog food and the bowls he picked up earlier.

Leaving the door open behind him, Sandor smirked and walked to his truck grabbing the large dog food bag. When Lars heard the dog food he started barking, excited that he was going to be fed. The dog never left the house, he stayed right near the door way and wagged his tail as his new aster carried the bag inside along with the bowls.

Setting the bag down in the kitchen, Lars started barking again and spun around in a circle. His claws tapped against the tiled floor as he sniffed the dog food bag, while Sandor turned on the sink faucet to fill up his new water bowl. Setting the metal bowl down, Lars walked over and started to lap up the water to quench his thirst. Tearing open the dog food bag, Sandor watched as Lars' ears perked up but he still continued to drink. 

Scooping some dry dog food with a plastic cup he grabbed from the cabinet; he filled up the metal bowl and set it down next to the water bowl.

Standing back a few feet, Sandor watched as Lars ate his fill, never spilling a kibble from his bowl. Lars' tail wagged slowly, happy with the dog food Sandor provided him with. The sound of a bedroom door creaking as it opened and closed, Sandor glanced upstairs to see a pale looking Sansa walk down stairs. Something was off with her from what he could see by just the way she walked.

She must have heard Lars barking, _he had a sharp piercing bark._

She walked up to him, glancing at his face as she tilted her head. He folded his arms against his chest and looked at her, "Got a dog." He shrugged, his attention turning back to Lars who had finished eating and was walking up to Sansa to greet her.

The girl didn't say anything; she knelt down slowly to pet Lars, her hand ran over his head and scratched behind his ears. Lars leaned into her touch and closed his eyes, his tail was wagging swiftly behind him. Sansa giggled as Lars licked at her chin, she then ran her fingers through the fur along his back and towards his hips.

Lars leaned to his side and feel over, landing on his back and wanting his belly rubbed. Letting out a scoff, Sandor rolled his eyes at the display,  _"Some guard dog."_  He muttered under his breath, but was pleased that Sansa seemed happy with Lars. Sansa laughed and rubbed Lars' belly, when she was finished Lars licked at her face and she giggled again.

"What's his name?" She looked up to him smiling, while standing up slowly her knees let out a popping noise as she stood straight up. Sandor looked at Lars who had walked back to get another drink from his bowl.

"Lars." He rasped out, the dog turned his head towards his new master waiting for a command. Sandor clapped his hands and the dog walked and sat down between Sansa and him. 

Sansa turned her head and watched Lars, Sandor noticed she was pouting and seemed to be deep in thought. She then smiled brightly, "Well I think he looks more like a  _Larry_!" She laughed as Lars barked and wagged his tail when he heard Sansa's voice.

Sandor groaned,  _Lars definitely did not look like a fucking Larry._

 

_**\- Sansa's POV -** _

 

Sansa’s heart dropped when the familiar scene entrapped her. She was frozen solid, a victim to a nightmare, no…  _a victim to a memory_ …  She felt herself scream, but it was trapped on the inside while her face was frozen like ice, like stone even. Everything inside of her was trembling, shaking and storm like.   
  
 _Lady’s pitiful barks as she wagged her tail at her. Joffrey’s smirk as he came up from behind her._  
  
“You should have listened to me earlier, Sansa. Fighting will get you nowhere.” He waved his hand towards _her_ and that sick _bastard_ Meryn moved towards them, and grabbed Lady by the collar. She started to snarl and snap at him, but a slap to her _precious, precious friend_ silenced her after a final sharp yelp. Meryn and another of the Lannister guards led her away.   
  
They would be the same ones to deliver her body back to her hours later. She had been still warm, still soft, and still as beautiful as ever. Sansa bit her bottom lip until it bled, _she couldn’t cry_. No. They would have no satisfaction from her tears. She would not weep because it would only make them smile. She ran her hands over the fur of her beloved Lady, and held her until footsteps by her door ripped her apart from the corpse and led her to a chair instead.  
  
She sat there numbly as Joffrey walked in, and he smirked at her face. Hardened jaw or not her despair was evident, and the bloody lip she was now sporting was another indication.   
  
“Next time Sansa, I’ll take your maid.” Joffrey had snapped his fingers again and Lady’s body was taken away. It had taken hours for her to fall asleep that night, but she fell asleep with a prayer in her throat, and a smile on her lips.  _At least Lady was free now_.   
  
Sansa woke up with a start, drenched in sweat and tangled in her sheets. Her heart was as broken as it had been that day, that terrible, horrible day. A bark from downstairs broke her out of her thoughts and roused her from her bed. She pulled her pajama pants over her underwear quickly and fixed her twisted tank top before slipping out of her room to investigate.   
  
She made her way down the stairs carefully, still feeling a bit off from her nightmare. She didn’t want to fall down the stairs, no not today, _well not really anytime._ She spotted Sandor right away and headed towards him, still with careful footsteps. _Perhaps the nightmare had shaken her more than she thought it had_. She tilted her head as her inquiry, she hadn’t tested her voice since she had woken up and didn’t want to trouble the man any more than she already was.  
  
"Got a dog." He shrugged his broad shoulders while he still had his arms crossed against his chest, and Sansa’s attention was quickly stolen by the German Shepherd slowly making his way over to her.  
  
She knelt to pet the dog, her hand sliding over his head before she scratched lightly behind his ears. The German Shepherd leaned into her touch and closed its eyes, and its tail was wagging happily behind. She let out a soft giggle as the dog licked at her chin, and then ran her nimble fingers through the fur along his back and towards his hips.

Sansa couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips as the dog leaned over and fell on its side, enjoying her ministrations. She ignored Sandor as he scoffed and murmured under his breath, in favor of rubbing the dog’s belly as he offered it for her. When she finally stopped the dog’s wet tongue found her face again causing yet another bubbly giggle to escape her lips. _She hadn’t giggled like that in months…_  
  
“What's his name?" Sansa redirected her attention to her roommate, offering him a happy smile as she rose from where she’d been kneeling, her knees popping as she rose to her full height.  
  
“Lars.” Sandor turned his attention back towards the dog who had made his way back over to his water bowl. Lars’ head immediately turned as he heard his name, and he padded over towards the two of them when Sandor clapped his hands together. The dog sat down between the two of them.  
  
Sansa glanced down at Lars, pouting ever so slightly as her eyes raked over his shiny coat. _The name_ _Lars didn’t seem to fit the dog, but what did?_ It hit her quickly and a smile formed on her lips.  
  
“Well I think he looks more like a _Larry_!” Sansa laughed as the dog showed his approval, barking and wagging his tail as the words fell from her mouth.  
  
She ignored Sandor as he groaned in protest, and knelt back down on the floor to show the dog some more love.

 


	5. Bronn

_**\- Bronn's POV -** _

He rolled his neck to crack it and slumped against the back of his seat, staring at the shorter man behind the desk as he signed a few papers. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, he’d give the man that much. He was one of his only friends as well, even if he did pay him to help him  _look_  after things. He watched as the man suddenly looked up at him, as he began to pick at his nails.  
  
“You still meet with the Hound, right?” Bronn raised an eyebrow but continued to pick at his fingernail.  
  
“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, why?” He leaned forward and rested his arms against the solid oak desk, glancing across to where Tyrion Lannister sat. The man had sat his pen down and reached for his glass of wine.  
  
“I want to make sure she’s alright.” Tyrion answered, bringing the glass of wine to his lips.  
  
“If we haven’t heard word from that  _lot_ about her, I reckon she’s just dandy. If we go lookin’ for her, we might lead them to her.” Bronn slumped back against his chair, his mind quickly leading him to when he’d last seen the little ray of sunshine. He almost shivered.   
  
“You’re right. But, I don’t want to know where she is though, I want to know if she’s alright.” Bronn sighed and tilted his head.  
  
“Look Sandor might be my friend, but I don’t think he’s gonna track down some innocent girl as a favor to me.” He shook his head before bringing his fingers up to rub at his temple.   
  
“There would be cash involved, of course. Nothing that can be traced back. I know how you handle those who follow you.” Tyrion took another sip of his wine. Bronn didn’t understand how a man that small could drink as much as he could, or better yet, stand the taste of that godforsaken wine he fucking loved so much.  
  
“Fine, fine, have Shae send me a picture of her and I’ll flash it to the man over lunch.” Bronn pulled himself up from his chair using the arms of it and held open his hand, just as Tyrion pulled cash from a drawer of his desk.

“Here’s five grand. I just want to know that she’s safe, and happy.” Tyrion looked Bronn straight in the eyes until he nodded, pulling his now cash filled hand and filling up his jacket’s pocket.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll get him to do it, just have Shae send me a picture.” Bronn started for the door, and didn’t look back.

-

He drug himself from his truck and settled his feet on the ground, thankful that Sandor was still working in the same place he was the last time they met up, about two weeks ago. With all the shit going on with the Lannisters, he’d been one busy motherfucker – but hey, he’d been getting paid bonus from Tyrion lately. He’d re-worked that damn phrase ‘only trust a man as far as you could throw them’ to fit the Lannisters after he got to know the little shit. Tyrion Lannister was the only Lannister you could actually pick up and throw, and therefore the only one you could really trust.  
  
Bronn snorted as he watched Sandor yell at Gendry Waters about something. That was one bastard Cersei Lannister missed during one of her mental breakdowns. She’d send the Lannister men out to kill as many of them as they could, probably worried that one of them would rise up, and threaten her little  _empire_. She destroyed it herself, though, and her Daddy wasn’t going to foot her bills much longer. Bronn loved a good drama he could watch from a safe distance, and watching Cersei Lannister burn was a beautiful damn sight.  
  
“Sandor!” Bronn waved his arm at his friend, watching the huge man turn around and grin that ugly smirk of his right back at him. Sure they’d talk over the phone and texted in the past two weeks, but he probably knew that Bronn showing up meant free lunch or maybe even some extra pay. Today it meant both.  
  
“What brings you to my neck of the woods, you piece of shit?” Bronn’s grin grew on his face as the man walked up to him.  
  
“Oh you know, thought we’d drop by that burger place, grab some lunch, and talk about a girl the Imp and his lady are worried about.” Bronn shrugged his shoulders and watched the man’s smile fade.  
  
“What the fuck does the  _Imp_  want with this girl?” Sandor’s only good eyebrow rose and Bronn motioned for him to join him in his truck.  
  
“Nothing bad, just wants to make sure she’s okay. She was that mad little shit’s plaything for a while. Sunshine grew on him and his lady, he helped her escape… he just wants to know if she’s safe and happy.” Bronn shrugged his shoulders as they walked over to the truck.  
  
“Sunshine?” Sandor grunted at the codename he’d given the girl. Bronn liked speaking in code just in case someone was listening to his conversations. You could never be too careful when your life was at stake.   
  
“She’s a sweet little thing, red hair, blue eyes. She used to have a sweet smile too – until the Lannisters pulled their shit. She’s Ned Stark’s oldest daughter.” Bronn settled into his seat and slammed his door, before pulling his phone out and checking his most recent text from Shae. He passed his phone over to Sandor when he got settled in too.   
  
He watched as his best friend’s eyes widened, and then narrowed as he glanced down at his phone,  _for a second he thought the man was going to break his fucking phone_. But he just handed the phone back and buckled himself in.  
  
“How much am I getting paid, and for what information?” Sandor asked him gruffly.   
  
“Five grand, he doesn’t want to know where she is, just how she is.” Bronn shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said, the Imp and his lady are fond of the girl.”

“This is gonna be the easiest five grand I’ve ever fucking made… but you have buy me lunch, if you want me to tell you why.” Bronn raised his eyebrow at Sandor’s smirk but started up his truck anyways.

_**\- Sandor’s POV -**_

Taking a bite of his overcooked cheeseburger, Sandor looked around the diner to make sure no one was listening in to their conversation; Bronn seemed to be doing the same thing. An elderly couple sat in the corner that was closer to the entrance and a small family sat near the jukebox. The children kept changing the songs with the quarters their parents had given them.  

He took a sip of his Pepsi, trying to choke down the dry cheeseburger, Bronn chuckled as he munched on his fries. “So, she’s been living with you for the past month or so now?” Bronn shook his head, “How the _hell_ does she put up with your shit?”  

“ _My shit_?!” Sandor snarled as Bronn picked up the Heinz ketchup bottle and squeezed the plastic bottle over his fries while smirking. The ketchup splattered amongst his plate, some of it even landed on his slice of a dill pickle. Sandor raised his hand for the bottle so he could squirt some onto his cheeseburger.

“Aye, your shit! Sunshine’s too nice to be living with an ass like you, especially after everything that has happened.” Bronn let out a low whistle before he picked up a french fry and plopped it into his mouth, “So tell me... If Sunshine is really living with you as a roommate, how is she?”

“First you insult me, then you want to know more about her?” Sandor frowned and Bronn shrugged, letting out a sigh of frustration Sandor glared at the waitress who walked by to wipe down a table nearby.

He waited until the waitress walked away from them before he started talking again, “She’s fine… seems fine, likes to cook and bake a lot. Not that I’m complaining.” Letting out a deep chuckle while half smiling, Bronn frowned and leaned forward to say something but Sandor cut him off before he could speak, “She had a bruise on her face when she first moved in though… Didn’t tell me who did it, but by what you’ve told me. I’m guessing that douchebag hit her?” He growled while clenching his fists under the table. Bronn shook his head, “No, Joffrey didn’t hit her that time.”

 _"That time?”_ Sandor hissed, he shoved his plate away from him, he no longer felt hungry. _Aye, she was indeed a sweet little thing, but just what the fuck did she go through living with the Lannisters? No wonder why she had little to nothing when she first moved in, that fucker Joffrey probably didn’t let her keep a thing or destroyed it out of pleasure to upset her._

“He ordered Trant that time to do it.” Bronn scowled and Sandor felt like he could flip the table in anger.  _“Trant?!”_ Sandor spat,  _“He’s lucky I wasn’t fucking there to rip his balls off!”_  Bronn raised his hands and sighed, “Aye, if only you didn’t leave when you did… you missed her about three months. But even if you were there, shit still probably would have happened anyways.” He raised an eyebrow and smirked, “You seem over protective of the little lass… don’t tell you you’ve grown fond of her?”

“Fuck you, just because she has a pretty smile doesn’t mean shit... _Fond of her cooking maybe_.” Sandor shrugged and took another sip of his Pepsi while thinking about what she would be cooking for dinner tonight.  
  
Bronn leaned back and scratched behind his neck, “Glad to hear she’s smiling again.”

“Want to come over and see her for yourself? She should be home right now.” Sandor sniffed, maybe she has something cooked up for lunch… _better than this shit_. 

“Home? Oh right, she has to pay rent to live you.” Bronn winked and laughed, “She like her job?” The waitress walked over and handed the men their bill, Bronn took it and smiled at the waitress as he handed her a twenty, “Keep the change sweetheart.” He winked at the waitress who giggled and walked away. Bronn turned around so he could watch her walk, “That one has a nice ass.” Sandor shook his head, 

“Aye, she enjoys her work. Sometimes works double shifts though and comes home really late… that and going to school she seems to enjoy everything.”

“Sunshine always seemed to find pleasure and joy in anything. Glad she’s still going to school.” Bronn nodded and both men stood up from their table, heading outside. 

Bronn winked at the waitress one more time and Sandor sneered at her, “Thanks for the shit food.” The woman gasped and flinched away from his burned face. Sandor barked out a laugh as he followed Bronn outside.

“Nothing, get in the fucking car, let’s go see  _Sunshine_.” Sandor growled with sarcasm, as they both got in his truck, Bronn handed him the large wad of cash. 

As Sandor counted to make sure the five grand was all there, Bronn tilted his head, “Don’t you need to get back to work?”

“Fuck it.” Sandor smirked wickedly before shoving the cash in his pocket. “Gendry was pissing me the fuck off today anyways.” Bronn howled with laughter and slapped his knee, Sandor chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot and drove onto the main highway.

  
_**\- Sansa's POV -  
** _

Sansa stood over the stove as she rotated and mixed the chicken with her wooden spoon, making sure it the small chunks of meat were cooking evenly in the frying pan. She had mixed the chicken with garlic and some spicy taco seasonings and was preparing to mix in taco sauce. In a smaller sauce pan she was heating up some mild queso cheese. On the counter behind her, a few bowls were splayed out, filled with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and shredded cheese.

Larry silently sat next to her, watching her every move and waited patiently for a little taste of what smelled so good. His ears twitched as he heard Sandor’s truck pull up into the garage, Sansa looked at the clock and shrugged, “He’s early, it’s a good thing I cooked a lot… Hope he likes chicken tacos…” Larry let out a deep growl as he picked up on a new scent of a male.

“Oh cut it out, here,” Sansa walked over to the counter behind her and grabbed a few slices of the shredded cheese. She dropped them into Larry’s bowl, but he ignored the cheese. The door to the garage opened up and Sandor walked in with a man behind him. Sansa dropped her spoon as she heard the man’s laughter.

“Bronn?!” She almost yelled as she walked out of the kitchen, Bronn and Sandor were taking off their boots as Larry walked over to the new man to investigate. 

_**\- Sandor's POV -**_

“Hello Sunshine!” Bronn laughed as Sansa ran up to him and jumped to give him a large welcoming hug. Larry growled as the man hugged her back, Sandor leaned against the wall and frowned. He didn’t think Sansa and Bronn were so… _close_. 

 The growling from Larry made Bronn let go of Sansa, he slowly raised his arms up and raised his eyebrows, “You didn’t tell me you had a German Shepherd mate.” Larry picked up on the man’s fear and flattened his ears against his head.   
  
“Oh, must have slipped my mind.” Sandor chuckled but clapped his hands, “Lars!”

 “…His name is Larry.” Sansa stuck out her tongue at Sandor and opened up the door and pointed, “Outside Larry! Go on!” Larry growled one more time at Bronn but listened to Sansa, Bronn couldn’t help but laugh as Sandor narrowed his eyes at Sansa.  

“I never knew you were afraid of dogs Bronn… you seemed liked Lady.” Sansa spoke softly and Bronn frowned, Sandor raised his eyebrows at the name  _Lady_.   
  
“Lady wasn’t a German Shepherd Sunshine, she was a nice dog.” Bronn smiled,  
  
“She was a very sweet dog.” Sandor watched as Sansa frowned and looked away, the smell of something burning caught his nose. “Oh! Oh no!” She rushed to the kitchen and lowered the burner’s heat. She stirred the chicken and the taco sauce before turning the burner off completely. “Smells good Sunshine, what are you cooking?” Sandor walked into the kitchen and sat down on a stool that was near the marble top island. Bronn leaned against the sink and watched as Sansa checked on the cheese to make sure it wasn’t burning. 

“I was making chicken tacos, help yourselves guys.” She smiled sweetly at Bronn and then she looked at Sandor. Sandor nodded and started to make himself a plate since he didn’t eat much at the diner.   
  
“Not hungry Sunshine, thanks anyways.” He shrugged and Sansa frowned,  
  
“How do you and Sandor know each other anyways?” Bronn elbowed her softly and she laughed.  
  
“We’re drinking buddies, he’s one of the only men who can out drink me.” 

“Don’t let him lie to you, a lot of people can out drink him.” Sandor laughed as Bronn flicked him off,  
  
“Oi! I don’t lie!” 

“ _Now that’s a lie_.” Sandor walked over to the stove and scooped up some chicken and some cheese. “Going to take it back to work with me, be back later.” Sandor nodded his thanks and Bronn ruffled Sansa’s hair.

  
**_-Sansa’s POV-_**

“Good to see you smiling Sunshine, I’ll see you around!” He winked and followed Sandor out the door. As she made her own chicken taco, she heard Bronn yelling, “YOUR GOD DAMN DOG PISSED ALL OVER MY BOOTS.” She gasped as Sandor opened the door and let Larry in, he was laughing so hard that when he shut the garage door Sansa could still hear him laughing.  

Larry walked over to Sansa and wagged his tail, he was clearly proud of himself. Sansa shook his head, “You’re a bad boy, no cookies today.” She giggled as she took a bite of her chicken taco.


	6. Storm [Part 1]

**_-Sansa's POV -_ **   
  


Rinsing the suds from her wet and soapy hair, Sansa hummed along with a familiar song that was playing on the local radio station. A droplet of water mixed with the shampoo suds ran down her forehead, and before she could wipe the droplet away, it dripped into her right eye. Letting out an annoyed hiss, Sansa turned to face the water, rubbing her eye trying to ease the stinging sensation, and rid the soapy mix from her poor eye.

Groaning, Sansa blinked a few times, just to make sure that the shampoo was completely rinsed out of her eye before she continued to wash the rest of it out of her hair. The song had stopped playing and Sansa hummed a different song, ignoring the radio host talking some stupid nonsense. _Come on, just go back to playing music_. She grumbled before picking up a bottle of conditioner, snapping open the cap and squeezing the bottle until the white colored conditioner oozed into her hand.

Using her wrist to snap the conditioner bottle closed, she continued to hum as she rubbed her hands together before running them through her hair. Mixing the conditioner into her hair, and massaging her scalp, Sansa stepped forward a few inches so her hair couldn’t get wet. Letting the conditioner soak into her hair, Sansa sighed softly as she tuned into the radio host’s talk.

“I can’t believe that we didn’t get storms this winter, but of course when spring is right around the corner, a blizzard  _has_ to hit our area.” The man chuckled, “I feel bad for the people who aren’t prepared, the weather channel stated that we’re supposed to get powerful winds tonight.”

_Blizzard? What blizzard?_

“What like… forty miles per hour winds?” A woman asked and a man made a ‘tsking’ sounds. “No, I’m pretty sure… _hold on let me check the report_ …” The shuffling of papers could be heard along with a woman sighing, Sansa’s heart was pounding in her chest. She quickly backed up into the water and rinsed out her hair as quickly as possible, not caring if the conditioner didn’t sit long enough in her hair.

Forgetting about shaving her legs, Sansa turned off the water to the shower and quickly hopped out of the tub, while grabbing her favorite purple towel off of the towel rack. Water droplets raced down her neck, back, arms and legs as she quickly wrapped the towel around herself and raced to turn off the radio that was playing in her room. Panting and listening to the silence, Sansa’s arms were shaking. The last blizzard she experienced was when she still lived with her parents before she even met Joffrey.

The power had gone out and her father had to use their generator. She furrowed her brows - that was something Sandor might have…  _But what would her mother do?_ Licking her lips Sansa glanced around her room; a Yankee Candle she had bought had caught her eye.  _Candles!_ If the power was going to go out she would need to have candles, flashlights, anything to help see ready for her to use.

Rolling her eyes she rubbed the towel on her legs and arms, drying herself off before getting dressed. If the power went out, they wouldn’t have heat, or the well for the water wouldn’t work. Grabbing her Yankee Candle and her lighter off of her dresser she quickly darted out of her room and down stairs. As she was walking down the stairs she noticed Larry was pacing back and forth in the hallway near the kitchen. He let out a low whine as he heard her footsteps.

“It’s okay boy, you sense it? Don’t you?” Sansa smiled softly before setting down her things on the dining room table. “ _Sandor_ ? Sandor are you home?” Sansa called out, looking for her roommate. If there was a blizzard coming, she just hoped Sandor knew about it more than she did. Sighing softly as she walked into the living room, her feet padded softly against the carpeted floor. The couch let out a squeak as she sat down in the middle of it, the remote laid on the coffee table in front of her.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, counting down from ten she tried to calm down the anxiety that was building inside of her. She felt something warm and wet graze against her arm, she giggled as she opened up her left eye. Looking down at Larry, the German shepherd wagged his tail, and licked her arm again. For a moment, Sansa felt eerily calm. Reaching forward to grab the remote, she pushed down on the power button, and turned on Sandor’s flat screen television as well as the cable box.

“Now what channel is the weather channel?” She mumbled as she looked at the remote to find the ‘guide’ button. Pressing it, she narrowed her eyes at the screen looking for the weather channel. When she found the channel, she held her breath and listened to the two news anchors talk about the no-named blizzard.

“With winds up to fifty miles per hour, and wind chills up to twenty degrees below zero; I warn everyone to stay inside tonight. It’s expected to hit the Kings Landing area around eight p.m. tonight.” The man shook his head as the woman next to him raised her eyes brows, “We’re supposed to get heavy snowfall as well, beware of ice on the roads today and tomorrow before and after the storm hits, my biggest worry with that is black ice.” The woman sighed and licked her lips,

“And to think this was supposed to be just a band of thunderstorms until that cold front came in.” The man looked at the camera and clenched his jaw,   
  
“Stay off the roads if you can, have bottled water and flashlights nearby just in case you lose power. If you have pets please make sure they’re kept indoors tonight.” The woman nodded,   
  
“Even if you have elderly neighbors, be sure to check in on them to make sure they’re doing alright and have everything they need hours before this storm hits us.”

The ache in her chest was becoming unbearable, she muted the television before leaning forward and standing up. Her knees popped as she walked into the kitchen, shivering slightly she glanced up at the clock. It was around noon, and she frowned as she tried to steady her uneven breath. Without thinking she started opening up the cabinets, searching for flashlights and food that they didn’t need power to cook with. She pulled out a heavy black flashlight, her fingers shook as she turned it on to make sure it worked. Paws padded lightly behind her as the light shined brightly, “It’s okay Larry, good boy.” Sansa glanced at the dog who tilted his head after hearing his name.

Sansa grumbled under her breath as she dug out large pots, if they lost power… Who knew how long the power could be out for? She remembered when her mother would fill up the pots with boiled tap water, and they would have to use it to drink, or to cook with. Even to use for the toilet when the power to the well went out. As Sansa filled up two large pots of water and turned on the stove, she sighed as she turned back to the cabinets. Deciding to cook food that they could eat while the power was out first before boiling water to use for emergencies, Sansa pulled out a box of shell pasta from the cabinet. Ripping open the box and pouring the pasta into the boiling water. Sansa walked to the fridge and grabbed the egg carton off of the first shelf. She placed the half dozen of eggs into the boiling water as gently as she could without getting splashed with the hot water.

After lowering the temperature of the burners, she looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes.

_I should call Sandor, and make sure he knows about the blizzard_ .

Sniffing softly, Sansa patted her sides feeling for her cellphone. Groaning, she walked out of the kitchen and looked at the dining room table seeing if she placed her cell phone down there. Rolling her eyes she let out a nervous giggle, remembering she left her cell phone up in her bedroom. Dashing up the stairs while her left hand grazed against the railing, Larry followed behind her while wagging his tail. As she walked into her room, she took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves and anxiety. Her feet gently padded against the carpet as she walked over to her dresser where her cellphone was charging.

She quickly unplugged the charger and swiped the screen with the pad of her thumb. Licking her lips she scrolled through her contacts, as she tapped her thumb on ‘Mr. Grump’ she sighed as she pressed the phone to her left ear. Glancing over to Larry, who had jumped on her bed and made himself at home, she giggled softly.

“Sansa?” A dark raspy voice answered the phone after three rings. 

“Yeah, Sandor? Did you know about this blizzard that’s supposed to hit us?” Sansa asked in a worried tone. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself down again before she had a panic attack.   
  
“Aye, I’m headed home now lass, there’s a black flashlight in one of the cabinets in the kitchen, we’re probably going to lose power tonight.” He cursed under his breath, with her spare hand Sansa began to rub the base of her neck in a calming motion. “You there?” He asked,   
  
“Yeah, I am... I already got that out... I started boiling eggs…You know, in case we lose power and can’t cook anything for breakfast or lunch.” Sansa started to ramble, and she knew she was doing it.  
  
Sandor chuckled, “Look don’t worry, I have a generator in the garage if we do lose power.” Sansa sighed softly, out of relief, seeing Sandor didn’t seem too nervous about the storm made her feel a bit better, 

“I’m also going to boil a few pots of water, just in case.”   
  
“Aye, you do whatever makes you feel better lass.” Sandor replied, licking her lips Sansa glanced at Larry who had fallen asleep on her bed. “I’ll be home in a few minutes, everything will be fine. It’s just a typical snow storm.” Before Sansa could respond, her roommate hung up on her.

Licking her bottom lip; Sansa tilted her head back and look up at the ceiling, she knew winter, she knew of snow, and she knew of the heavy winds and the damages that could happen during a typical snow storm. This blizzard wasn’t a typical snow storm, but she could only hope that Sandor was right and that everything would in fact be fine.  


__**  
\- Sandor's POV -**   
  


Sandor raised his eyebrow as he listened to some of his workers gripe about the coming storm. A few days ago it was just three days of hard rain that they all looked forward to – _they didn’t have to work when it rained, or if it was too wet out._ But now? Now it was a blizzard coming in. Sandor was no stranger to snow, he’d grown up in the mountains near Lannisport, though he guessed that the little roommate of his had seen more than he had. Wintertown was just as its name alluded to. The town was way further north than the area he’d grown up in after his family had immigrated over. He couldn’t recall whether the elevation was higher there or not, and nor did he care.  
  
He spat at the men to get them back to work, _if they wanted to get out of here before the storm hit, then they had to get the job done._ There was no way around that fact. He glared at Gendry Waters as he took his time to get back to his station, he was the one bloke on site that he couldn’t scare. Though, Sandor had to admit he could understand why. The Baratheon bastard’s little wife was the scariest little demon to ever escape hell. Arry Waters dropped by the work sites often enough, putting the fear of god and whatever else she could into the poor bastard, and anyone else who’d fall for her shit. She was an annoying little thing, almost the complete opposite of the little bird…  
  
Sandor smirked to himself, his little roommate had to be a leftover angel, because she was a perfect little thing and nothing like Mrs. Waters. Sansa continued to cook him dinner most nights, kept the common rooms between them clean, and didn’t mind Bronn coming and going as he did. Even if he did. _What did that bastard think he was up to anyways?_ Sandor shook the thought from his head and crossed his arms as he watched his men pick back up their work. The girl was a quiet little thing, but he could hear her sing when she bathed or showered, or whatever… She also hummed when she did her homework at the table, and even when she cleaned….

He didn’t understand why he was so okay with it either, usually people making unnecessary racket pissed him off. He had to admit, the girl had a lovely voice, but he doubted that he’d ever tell her straight up to her face. He grunted to himself as he tried to steer his mind away from the auburn haired lass, _he needed to get laid_.

His attention was quickly brought back around to the little bird when his phone began to ring. He glanced at the caller ID only to find her name there – ‘Sansa’ he bit the inside of his cheek lightly before answering, _what the hell was she doing calling him at work anyways_?   
  
“Sansa?” He glared at one of the men who’d stop working to look up at him, which sent the man right back to work.   
  
“Yeah, Sandor? Did you know about this blizzard that’s supposed to hit us?” He raised his eyebrow when he recognized the panic in the lass’ voice. _The girl had to be used to snow storms by now, she was from the bleeding north for gods’ sake.  
  
_ “Aye, I’m headed home now lass, there’s a black flashlight in one of the cabinets in the kitchen, we’re probably going to lose power tonight.” He cursed under his breath, how was he going to explain this to his crew? Oh hell, he’d have to think of something. “You there?” He asked, as he headed for his truck to grab the paperwork he’d need to file to release his men earlier than scheduled.   
  
“Yeah, I am... I already got that out... I started boiling eggs…You know, in case we lose power and can’t cook anything for breakfast or lunch.” The girl began to ramble and prattle, but Sandor couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle as she did so. The lass was a smart one, he’d give her that much. Better safe than sorry, but he couldn’t help but shoot down her ideas anyway,  
  
“Look don’t worry, I have a generator in the garage if we do lose power.” Her sigh of relief was comforting, even to him, he scowled as the thought was processed, _what the hell, Clegane?_  
  
“I’m also going to boil a few pots of water, just in case.” She informed him and Sandor found himself nodding quietly along, knowing full damn well the girl couldn’t fucking see him.  
  
“Aye, you do whatever makes you feel better lass.” Sandor replied, he licked his lips as the scowl came back to his face, _what the hell, Clegane?_ He found himself questioning himself again. What did the lass’ comfort and relief mean for him anyways? She was just his roommate. Sure, she was a polite little lass, who could cook and clean, and had a pretty smile… “I’ll be home in a few minutes, everything will be fine. It’s just a typical snow storm.” He quickly hung up on her before his thoughts decided to slip out of his mouth.  
  
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and grabbed the clipboard off his dashboard, quickly filling out what he needed to before stepping back to where his men were. “Oi! Wrap this shit up! Storm’s worse than predicted, I need you assholes to get this shit ready for the storm and then head out! I need you guys home before this mess hits so I don’t lose any of you!” He ignored the grins on the men and started to help them up so work would progress quicker.   
  
He did leave earlier than the rest of them, citing that he had to get the paperwork turned in – _like hell he did._ He was heading straight home, that little bird of his was nervous and scared… _fuck did he just say his?_ He needed to get laid and _laid soon._ He grunted and tossed the clipboard into the passenger seat before buckling up.  
  
Traffic was _bad_ , so Sandor turned off and onto the back roads. Usually they made the route back home take an extra twenty minutes, but today it seemed like they’d carve at least thirty minutes off the amount his usual route would take him. The clouds, he could see from a distance, were dark and almost terrifying to even him – a man who’d had his face shoved into flames. The wind had already begun to pick up as well. He cringed as he watched a wreck happen just before his eyes, he watched as others stopped to help those involved, but it was just a fender bender, and so he drove on.  
  
By the time he finally pulled up into his driveway and drove his truck into the garage – he’d had to move his motorcycle further back to fit his truck and Sansa’s car – it had already begun to lightly snow. He closed the garage door as soon as he was parked and headed inside to where he knew the little bird was fluttering around.   
  
“Lars!” He barked for the dog, this was probably the last chance the dog would have to go out before the storm hit. He grumbled to himself as he heard Sansa’s soft _Larry_ from the kitchen. What right did she have renaming his dog anyways? But the dog _listened_ to _her_ and made his way over as Sansa pointed at him. “Let’s let you out before it gets too shitty out to let you out.” He walked over to the door and let the dog out, watching him dash around the yard for a second before closing the door to check on Sansa.  
  
He could tell the girl was shaking slightly, there was no way the lass could be cold – wrapped up in a oversized sweater and the temperature in the damn house was a stark difference to the one outdoors. “You alright, lass?” He cocked an eyebrow towards her as he walked over to the kitchen counter and leaned forward, pressing some of his weight onto it.  
  
“W-what? Y-yes… I’m fine.” The girl’s stuttering and continued shaking made all the words coming out of her mouth fade into the background, they were all lies.  
  
“You don’t have to lie to me, I can tell you’re afraid… might be a good thing too, sometimes you never know with storms. Why don’t you finish up here and grab yourself a nice shower before the shit gets rough, eh? You’ll feel better for it.” He watched as the girl calmed almost instantly at his words and bit at the inside of his cheek. _What exactly did the little lass fair while she was with the Lannisters?_ Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t right at all.

  
  



	7. Storm [Part 2]

**\- Sansa's POV -**

Sansa was halfway in the shower when she realized she’d just taken one hours before, but the warm water that was hitting her left shoulder pulled the rest of her in anyways with its allure. Sandor was right it did calm her down,  _though he was always right wasn’t he?_ Sansa mused to herself while letting the warm water ease her stress away from her. She sighed before letting the water come down on the top of her head and smiled weakly. Surely if Sandor wasn’t scared, then she shouldn’t be scared either, should she? Even if something happened he’d be there, and so would Larry too.  
  
Sansa rushed through her shower and stepped out to hear that the wind outside had picked up a great deal, though she’d only been in the shower for a good ten or fifteen minutes. The thought itself made herself shiver, though the temperature difference between the water and the cold air of the bathroom didn’t help, as she pulled her towel closer around her body. She dressed quickly, her plain boyshort panties were pulled on as she continued to hold her fluffy towel against her, and then some of her leggings were pulled on over them. Only then did she drop her towel down and quickly pulled on both a tank top, and one of the warm sweaters she’d stolen from one of her brothers.  _She felt like it had been forever ago…_  She shook the thought from her mind, she’d see her brothers soon enough.  
  
She applied deodorant and brushed her teeth before drying her hair off vigorously with her towel, and tossed it lightly on the floor. She slipped over to her dresser to remove a thick pair of socks so her feet stayed warm and plopped herself down on her bed. She glanced out of her window and saw how violently the wind was to the trees by her window and shivered. Sansa gasped softly as the lights flickered, the storm had only just begun, and yet it already seemed so bad… how bad would it get?  
  
She soon got her answer when she heard a crash outside. Sansa rushed for her window and glanced down, one of the smaller trees in the yard had been pulled over by the strong winds along with the weight of the snow already beginning to pile up. Sansa’s loud gasp as a small branch raked against the glass of her window echoed through her room and she quickly left that side of the room and began collecting her candles together so they were easy to find. It looked terrible outside.  
  
Sansa curled up in her bed, beneath the quilt she often tossed over Sandor when she found him sleeping on the couch, the quilt her Grandmother had made her. It smelt of her old home in Wintertown and her family, but it also smelt of her new home and Sandor as well, now. Despite the wind screaming lightly, and the sounds of branches scraping against her window, Sansa fell asleep. She fell into a dream that was sweet and peaceful, but being woken up by a loud bang hitting against the roof and the lights in the house going off, Sansa wouldn’t remember whatever she was dreaming of. Instead of waking up with a smile on her lips, she woke up screaming and falling to the floor, her quilt tangled around her.  
  
Her door was yanked open not even a minute later after she’d heard heavy, rushed footsteps up the stairs. Sansa glanced up to see a small source of candlelight that was feet upon feet above her as she lay there tangled.  
  
“Where the hell are you girl?” She heard Sandor’s rough voice as she began to pull herself up and unraveled herself.  
  
“Floor – I… I fell out of bed.” Sansa admitted her voice soft and sheepish.   
  
“How the hell did you manage that? Is that why you screamed? Bloody scared the fuck out of me.” He came closer and brought the light with him. Sansa shivered momentarily as she watched the fire at the end of the wick dance but shoved all those thoughts aside as she rose from the floor.  
  
“I was sleeping when I heard the crash… it startled me. I woke up screaming and falling at the same time.” She admitted. “The power’s out?” Sansa narrowed her eyes in the dim lighting and went for her small stash of candles. “I put all my candles together…” She nearly screamed again when she felt something brush against her leg, but quickly realized it was Larry – however the limb that banged into her window a second later wasn’t a cute dog and she screamed.  
  
“Let’s get you downstairs, lass… I don’t think it’s safe up here tonight. Grab whatever you’ll need to keep warm, I need to check on the generator.” Sandor’s voice was oddly soothing and Sansa quickly pulled her quilt into her arms as she clung to her candles. She followed him down the stairs and made herself at home in the living room. He waited for her to light her candles before leaving with his own light and heading down to the basement to check on his generator.   
  
Sansa curled up in her quilt and watched the flames flicker in awe, Larry joining her on the couch and curling up beside her as if to keep her warm. It was getting cold inside, Sansa noted as she eyed a window suspiciously, she hoped that Sandor’s generator was alright, the storm had hours more left of it. She heard another branch or limb hit the house and cringed, earning a soft whine from Larry who tore her attention from it. “You’re scared too, aren’t you?” She whispered softly, scratching the sweet dog behind the ear.  
  
Sansa could hear Sandor cursing from the basement and rose to her feet as she slipped into the kitchen to grab the flashlight from its drawer. She didn’t want to try to carry a lit candle down the stairs. Sansa left her quilt on the couch as well, the sight Larry burrowing into it made her want to giggle, but she restrained from it as she started her way down the dark staircase.   
  
“Sandor? Is everything alright?” With every step further down into the basement Sansa felt colder and colder, she shivered lightly as she finally walked to where Sandor stood, his candle resting on some sort of table that was down here and he glanced over his generator. “W-Would a flashlight help?” She bit her lip as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering.  
  
“Shit lass, it’s freezing down here, go back upstairs.” Sandor was jolted from his thoughts it seemed, but took the flash fight from her anyways.   
  
“Ok…” Sansa made her way to the stairs without a light - she really didn't want to try to carry Sandor's candle back up with her - but barely made it to the top stair when she heard Sandor began to curse loudly once more. She turned to look down, "Is everything alright?"

**\- Sandor's POV -**

_Of course_ , of fucking course this piece of shit of a generator isn't working. Of course the fucking pull string had to snap and of course we're not going to have any fucking power during this god damn storm. _Damn it to fucking hell_.

 Sandor kicked the generator, releasing his anger on the equipment rather than lashing out at the little lass. "Fuck me!" He kicks the generator again, "With a god damn," he let out a loud roar of anger as he threw the broken pull string across the room, "Fucking rusty crowbar!" He heard Lars whine softly from upstairs.

Scowling, Sandor sighed and then gritted his teeth contemplating on what to do next. "Sandor?" A soft voice calls to him once more. _Bloody fucking hells_ , 

"Yes lass?" He can't help but snarling. Honestly not meaning to scare the poor girl, but it was the wrong time for her to be questioning him. Hell, if it was a few years ago he would have started screaming insults at her for just not leaving him the fuck alone.

But he wasn't the same person anymore, he was his own dog now, and he wasn't going to scare a fragile little bird to tears in her own home. Their home.

He heard her trying to comfort his dog who continued to whine, "It's okay boy, come on - no you can't go outside. _Larry_! Come on!" Slowly closing his eyes, Sandor concentrated on her soft voice as he tried to calm down. His foot was throbbing from kicking the generator multiple times. 

"Fucking idiot." He curses to himself.

" _I'm what_?" Sansa asks in a startled tone, she sounds like she's about ready to break down crying.

Groaning; Sandor bites down on his cheek until he tastes blood. "Not you lass." He calls to her, " _Never you_." He mumbles under his breath as he walks back up the stairs while still holding the flashlight to guide him. Glancing at her confused expression he looks down at his throbbing foot, "Shouldn't have kicked the bloody piece of shit..." He shrugs, hoping the lass would understand it wasn't her who he was insulting. Slowly, he bends over and rips apart the knotted bow on his working boots. "Lars giving you a hard time, eh?" He changes the subject quickly, hoping the little bird didn't think he was lying about the insult. 

_Not that I give a fuck what she really thinks, but I'm no fucking liar._

"Not really, he's just afraid of the storm I think." She answers softy, Sandor looks up at her after he finishes taking off his boots. Watching her as she bites down on her bottom lip almost makes him groan out loud.

Bloody dog, get ahold of yourself. _Should have went out to the fucking bar when I had a chance._

"Aye, probably." Letting out a deep grunt as he stretches and feels his disks pop, "Well without the fucking generator working.... What the fuck are we going to do now?" He chuckles as he walks into the kitchen and grabs a boiled egg from a bowl. Peeling the shell off the egg and dropping the shell into the garbage, he nods at Sansa who looks like she's in deep thought.

"Good thing you thought ahead," Shaking his head as he takes a bite of the egg, "Or else we'd be fucked on food." The little bird snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him in surprise. 

"Oh... thank you." She says softly before turning away, as she walked into the living room to sit next to Lars who had decided to burrow back into the blankets.

Finishing off the egg and grabbing the bowl, he followed her into the living room. The wind howled as it blew through the trees and against his house. Trees cracked as their limbs broke, and tumbled to the ground, crashing against other limbs. The branch thumped against the ground loudly, making Lars jump up. His ears twitched, listening to any other strange noise before settling back down into the blankets.

"It's okay boy." The little bird whispered as she ran her fingers through the dog's fur. Sandor felt his eyebrow twitch, he knew a nervous habit when he ever saw one.

Walking to his recliner, he placed the bowl of boiled eggs down on the coffee table before sitting down in his favorite chair. Sighing he sat back into the chair as he pulled back the lever, making the foot rest pop forward. "Back in Winterfell we had storms like this all the time." Sansa starts to talk while smiling softly at him.

"Oh yeah?" He reaches forward to grab another egg. _Did you get this upset back then_? That’s what he wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue. He stayed silent, wondering if she was going to continue or not.

"My mother normally took control though, making all of my brothers and even my sister sleep in the living room." She giggled, "Kind of like how I'm staying down here tonight."

"How many brothers do you have?" He couldn't help but ask; he was living with the lass, he might as well get to know her a bit more. Also, Sandor noticed that as Sansa spoke about her family, she seemed to calm down and relax a bit more.

"Five… Well Robb, Bran and Rickon are my brothers, but Jon is my cousin who my father adopted after Jon's mother died, she was my father's sister. My mother and father also adopted Theon when he was around seven years old, he’s actually got an older sister of his own named Asha. She’s considered part of the family, but she’s more like a cousin to me… Oh and of course there's Arya, my _pain in the ass_ little sister." She smiled brightly. "I broke her nose once." 

Slapping his hand on his knee, Sandor barked out a deep, raspy laugh. " _You_? You small little thing, how in the bloody hell did that happen?" He chuckled, picturing the little bird with flushed cheeks, her nostrils flaring and her eyes sharp with her fist in the air. The image alone made him chuckle again.

 She giggled and licked her lips, "Well, it all started with her putting yellow paint in the mustard bottle...."


	8. Storm [Part 3]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait.  
> Due to personal issues on both of our behalves, we had to postpone this update.  
> We will not be abandoning this story, but there may be long periods between updates.  
> Please be patient with us.

_**Sansa's POV** _

"And then once I took a bite of the sandwich, and I tasted the paint. I screamed like bloody murder." Giggling, Sansa glanced up at Sandor who smirked at her. "Of course I spit out the bite I took into the garbage, and then in a rush of anger, I ran up to Arya's room to confront her." Licking her soft lips, Sansa took a deep breath before continuing, "She had tried slamming and locking the door, but I was too quick for her. Body slamming her bedroom door, forcing myself into the room and then throwing the paint covered turkey sandwich at her face." 

Larry whined as the wind started to howl a bit more fiercely, a few tree branches cracked and plummeted to the ground making everyone jump at the loud thumping noises. "Damn wind... So then what happened lass? I bet your little devil of a sister didn't enjoy that." He chuckled and Sansa couldn't help but grin at his smirking face. Noticing how the shadows covered half of his face, and the light from the candle danced among the other half; she felt herself blushing for staring.  

_He's actually quite good looking, not in the typical boyish features that I would normally drool over. But more of a strong handsome type, with his squared jaw and..._

"Lass?" Sandor tilted his head and raised his brow.

"Oh!" Sansa blinked and shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts about her roommate. "Right, sorry. Anyways; Arya did this guttural war-like cry and jumped on me, sending me to the ground while grabbing my hair and twisting it in her fist. I somehow landed a few punches on her and wrapped my legs around her, then rolled us over until I was on top. _Um_ ," Sansa scratched the back of her head and giggled in embarrassment while Sandor chuckled deeply, "That didn't sound right, but she then spit on my face and I got so mad I punched her in the face, hitting her nose. When I felt the sickening crack, I knew I broke something." 

"Ha! Where the hell was the rest of your bloody family? Did they hear any of this?" His smirk changed into a full smile that reached his eyes.

"Well.... Arya didn't scream out in pain, instead she yelled at the top of her lungs, 'You bitch!' and right when she was about to retaliate, Robb and Jon pulled us apart. My mother scolded us and sent me to my room to separate us for the rest of the day." Shaking her head, Sansa frowned softly, "My mother seemed angrier at me because I was always the good child, the well behaved one. Arya was the one who was always fighting with others, but my Dad and my Mom took Arya to the hospital while Robb and Jon took me out for ice cream to celebrate my first victory against my sister."

Grinning as she heard Sandor slap his knee in amusement, she slowly started petting Larry again. "So was it just your sister who was the prankster in the family?" 

"Oh, no. Jon and Robb loved to embarrass me in front of my boyfriends from school if I ever dared to bring one home. Even my Dad got in on it, it was terrible. One time in middle school, I was like -eleven? Anyways, I was dating this kid and it was the first boyfriend I've ever had... Even though I really wouldn't call it a relationship because I as too young to understand a lot of things about relationships..."

"....And?" Sandor grunted, reaching over to grab another boiled egg.

"Well the kid, ended up two timing me. Twelve years old, having two girlfriends at once." Sansa giggled as Sandor chuckled, "He was really starting early off as a sleaze ball, but my brothers Robb and Jon were in high school, and I came home the day I found out about the kid cheating on me with a broken heart and a waterfall of tears down my face."

"Oh, I think I know where this is going." Sandor grunted as he plopped the peeled egg into his mouth and tossed the shells into a bowl on the table.

"Probably, but my brothers being hormonal raging bulls that they are, became so livid that some measly little boy could cause me so much pain. My Dad just hugged me and tried cheering me up by taking me out to the movies that weekend; but Robb and Jon, oh no," She giggled, "They took their car, stalked the kid while he walked from his bus stop and to his house, then when they caught him alone one day at the park Robb pinned him up against the tree and threatened him, saying that they know where he lives they will come and get him, that he needs to apologize to me, that he should never cheat on a girl ever again,  _blah blah blah_ ."

"So what did they do after that?" Sandor sighed as the wind slowly started to pick up again.

"They threw the kid in the lake." Sansa smacked her lips together and nodded, "Oh they got into so much trouble, but they always said it was worth it." She laughed at the memory of Jon and Robb getting grounded by their mother and their father giving them the thumbs up sign. Snuggling into the couch, Snas started rubbing her arms up and down as her teeth started to slowly chatter.  "It's getting kind of chilly in here." She mumbled as she pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. "Should we start a fire?"

"With what fireplace?" He snarled to her in response. Flinching at his harsh tone, Sansa held back a glare as she looked at him,

"Sorry that I never noticed that you didn't have one..." Like a child, Sansa stuck out her tongue out at her intimidating roommate.

"You shouldn't stick that out, unless you plan to use it." Sandor teased, causing Sansa to blush.

"Oh... no?" Shaking her head wildly.

"Well, that's too bad." She giggled before sticking her tongue out once more. Sansa watched, laughing, as Sandor growled and stood up from his recliner and walked closer to where she was sitting on his couch. "I'm warning you lass." He teased again.

Larry started wagging his tail as his master approached, Sansa shivered again because the temperature was dropping. Goosebumps covered her pale skin, she kept rubbing her hands over her arms under the blanket trying to keep warm. Curling slowly into a ball and ignoring Sandor as he sat down next to her, she tried to keep herself warm. Hearing him sigh, she glanced over at him and noticed that he wasn't shivering at all.

"Aren't you cold?" She tilted her head and asked in confusion, "I mean I come from way up north and I am _freezing_."

"Hmpff." He grunted while shrugging, Sansa watched as he slowly stood up and made his way into his bedroom, how he didn't bump into anything in the pitch black dark was a mystery.

Placing her head against her knees, Sansa tried to focus on warm, hot things. Like a day at the beach, or driving in a car during the summer without AC, or eating some fried chicken that hasn't cooled down all the way and burns your tongue. Lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped out of her skin as a large soft down comforter was tossed over her whole body. 

Sitting up, Sansa pulled the blanket over her head to see Sandor sit back down on the couch wearing a flannel top. Looking down at the blanket and glancing back at Sandor, Sansa frowned. "Aren't you going to use the blanket too?" 

"Why?" He grunted as he reached for another egg. "You're the one who is cold." He said in a sarcastic tone of voice that made Sansa bite the inside of her cheek.

"But it's your blanket," She sighed, trying to ignore that the blanket smelled like her roomate and that she felt like she was surrounded by him, engulfed by his smell. She couldn't help but noticed that it almost made her mouth water and her stomach flutter. If she focused hard enough, she could ignore the fact that she really enjoyed his scent.

"I'm fine lass. Stop worrying about me." He grunted out in annoyance, Sansa rolled her eyes at his response and grabbed a fist full of his blanket and tossed it over him.

"I don't care, here. We can share, I won't bite!" She giggled, as he gave her a look of surprise. The look quickly faded away into fake annoyance.   
  
"But I might." He smirked at her, Sansa smiled back as he grabbed the blanket and settled underneath it.

"See? Nothing bad happened." Sansa teased, suddenly feeling Sandor's body tense as she scooted closer to him so she could steal some of his body heat. Frowning, Sansa sighed softly, her body shivered again as another chill crept up her spine. 

"Were your brothers always over protective of you? Or did they happen to like anyone you brought home to meet your Mommy and Daddy?" Sandor asked in a tone of arrogance and sarcasm, but Sansa chose to ignore his tone again and smile at him instead.

"Well, they never really liked any guy I brought home.... They hated my recent ex the most. With a passion." Sansa raised her eyebrows as she spoke, "They were always cruel to him, always said mean and terrible things about him and his family."

"And you being you, let me guess stood up for this guy?" Sandor scowled as Sansa frowned at the memories.

Nodding her head, Sansa bit her bottom lip until she nipped away a small piece of skin and she tasted blood. "Constantly, we got into our worst arguments about him. My whole family didn't trust him or like him." She spoke softly, as she fought back the burning tears.

"And then what happened?" He growled out. Making Sansa flinch at his sudden change of tone. Licking her lips softly, she thought about the way Sandor pronounced certain words or phrases with his accent. His raspy, harsh voice mixing with the accent was extremely attractive, Sansa had to admit to herself.

 _But he's just a roommate, nothing more and nothing less. I highly doubt he'd ever want to even think about a stupid girl like m_ e, at least not in that way, she silently scolded herself at her thoughts.

Sniffing, Sansa rubbed at her eyes with her palm, " _They were right_. They were right all along and I still haven't told them that they're right." Feeling the need to change the subject before she became more upset, she glanced up at Sandor who was watching her carefully. "So, I never got to ask... But you're from Scotland right? Your accent kind of gives it away." Sansa giggled as she turned her whole body to face him. Her knees accidentally brushed up against his left knee and thigh.  Clearing her throat, Sansa shivered lightly once more as she tried to get comfortable while facing Sandor.

_**Sandor's POV** _

“Aye, I’m from Glasgow originally.” Sandor admitted licking his lips. “My parents immigrated over when I was five though, somehow managed to keep the accent I suppose. Until I turned twelve we used to spend our summers back at the family castle.”  
  
“Castle? Your family has a castle?” Of course the little lass had a thing for castles, little princess that she was. Her eyes had widened, as did her grin when the word slipped out of his mouth.  
  
“It’s not that big, but yeah – Clegane Keep – it’s outside Glasgow, my Grandfather still lives there, breeding hunting hounds. He used to participate in dogs shows and all that shit, used to bring home medals too. Clegane dogs are sought after.” Sandor had caught the little bird’s sudden switch in topic, her uneasiness. From what Bronn had told him, and what Sansa hadn’t said…  _gods he wish he could kill that brat._

“Couldn’t you have gotten a dog from your Grandfather, then?” Sansa’s eyes fell to Larry. “Not that I don’t love you, Larry.”  _Lars_ , Sandor growled internally. The dog whined before leaning closer into the girl.

“My Grandfather and I don’t talk, lass.” Sandor admitted softly, though he had no idea why. “We haven’t spoken since my father died.”

“Oh… I am so sorry, I didn’t know.” She lifted a hand to her mouth, still a shivering mess, and her eyes, for the first time since he’d met her, showed pity.

“Honestly lass, it’s fine. He was an asshole half the time.” Sandor offered a weak smile at the girl,  _his father had let his brother get away with his brutality_ . _Even if it had cost the rest of their family their lives_ . “I only miss my mother and my sister.”

“… Y-You lost them too?” Her eyes had widened, she looked so sad.  _He hated when she looked sad._

“Aye. Couldn’t tell you what happened to my sister, but my mother said she fell down the stairs. My mother was killed in a drive by shooting, and my father died during an in-home invasion when I was out of town.” Sandor told her the stories the Police had come up with, but he knew far differently.  _It wouldn’t hurt to be honest for once about them, would it?_ He leaned in towards the girl, and licked his lips. “Between you and I, my brother did it all.” Her soft gasp and the hurt and fear in her eyes made him regret saying the words.

“I-I’m so sorry.” Her words were as shaky as she was now. He studied her carefully before he came to a conclusion.  _She had met his brother._ Rage surged through his veins at the thought of the sweet girl being around his brutal brother. He had seen what his brother did to girls like her. He knew his ruthlessness first hand. And he knew Joffrey Baratheon was crazy enough to let his brother do what he wanted. He breathed in and out slowly, tightening his knuckles before pushing it all out of his mind.  _It would not do well to scare her, but if he did hurt her, there would be hell to pay._

“Don’t be sorry, lass. No one else has…” He admitted, his voice hoarse as he fought all the emotions in his mind and heart.

“That… That’s so sad…” She whimpered softly, causing Larr…  _Lars_  to whine softly.

“You still cold little bird?” He ignored her reaction and focused on her, shivering beside him.

“Yes.” She admitted it softly, barely over a whisper. He pulled himself from the couch and walked back to his room, grabbing a few more blankets and the pillows from his bed. He carried them back to the living room, throwing it all down in front of the couch, he began to form a makeshift bed on the floor. “What are you doing?”

He glanced up at the little bird from where he was on the floor, smoothing out the blankets that lay there, and placing the pillows at the end towards the back door. “Making a bed. You won’t be able to sleep tonight if you aren’t warm, neither will I.”

“ _We’re sleeping together_?” She squeaked, but damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing he’d ever damn heard. “But… that’s so improper!”

“Bunking together. I ain’t gonna touch you in a way you don’t like, lass. I’m  _not_  that sort of man.” Sandor’s voice was firm as he looked into the girl’s eyes from across the room. He watched her begin to calm down, though he wished he had better lighting to see if she was blushing.

“Oh… okay…” She seemed to trust him, he wasn’t about to break the trust and friendship he’d gained from the girl. She was probably his only true friend… Bronn used him far too often to consider him a true friend, though they would always have each other’s backs.

“I doubt Lars would even let me touch you if you didn’t like it.” He offered her a soft grin, the softest he could with this face at least. She even giggled softly at his words. She was one of a kind. _He caught himself_. He was falling for the girl.  _Hard_.

“You’re right, he’s really protective. Almost as bad as Jon or Robb… or Theon actually… though Theon wasn’t that bad…” Sandor chuckled at the girl and motioned for her to join him on the floor. 

“So who’s Theon again?” He asked her as she slipped into the spot beside him, Larry…  _fuck Lars_ hopping down to join her.  _Damn turncoat._

“My adopted brother, Jon’s my cousin, and Robb’s my older brother.” She reminded him softly as she wrapped one of the two blankets she had around him, for him. “Rickon and Bran are my little brothers, Arya is my little sister.”

“Must be nice to have a large family.” Sandor laid down, and looked up at the ceiling. Sansa laid down beside him, curling up in her own blanket… wait no. _She was curled up in his blanket, and he had hers on top of him._  Her blanket smelled like citrus and fruit, and some other scent he could only call hers. Seven hells, she smelt amazing.

“It could be, but Rickon was often overlooked, I used to take care of him for mom.” She was facing him, laying on her right side, looking at his good side. Frustration bubbled up inside of him, but he pushed it aside.

“How old’s Rickon?” He found himself asking.

“He’s fifteen. His hair’s just as long as mine too.” Sansa giggled again, and it was music to his ears.  _He needed to get laid and soon, she was driving him crazy._

“So that’s a what, eight year difference?” He did the math easily in his head, math was half of his job nowadays. It had started to come easily to him.

“Mmhmm. I mean mom watched him when he was little, but with all of us in clubs and stuff, he kinda began to get lost in all of it.” She confessed. “Do you have any happy stories?” He cleared his throat.

“Let me tell you about Scotland, eh? That’s what you want to hear about. Castles always rile up girls.” He didn’t have to look at her to tell she was pouting at him. “My family’s had Clegane Keep for hundreds of years, farmed sheep and all of that. We have our own coat of arms, used to have Knights and all that jazz.”

“Oh! The Tullys and the Starks have coats of arms too. I was actually thinking about getting them tattooed.” His eyes widened, he looked over at her.

“Proper lady like you, wanting tattoos?” Maybe there was another side of Sansa he hadn’t seen yet.

“Well yeah, a reminder of where I’m from and all that… you’ve got tattoos… did they hurt?’ He chuckled at how innocent she was,  _of course they’d hurt._

“Aye lass, but placement is everything. Though red heads are supposedly more sensitive to pain.” She bit at her bottom lip for the hundredth time that night. “You’re gonna bite your lip off one of these days.”

“Maybe.” She licked her bottom lip, and he wanted to groan. “So… will you go with me? I’ll pay for you to get your crest too…” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“You’re gonna pay for my tattoo? Well lass, shouldn’t I buy you dinner first at least?” She burst out into giggles and he smirked.

“You’re my friend, I don’t mind.” She smiled brightly at him. “What is your crest anyways?”

“Three black hounds on a field of yellow.” He admitted.

“The Tully’s have a silver trout on a red and blue background, the Stark’s have a gray direwolf on a field of white.” Sansa recalled from memory.

“Direwolf?” He found himself asking.

“Mythological or extinct wolf, they’re like the size of horses.” Sansa smiled. “My dad’s paternal family has been in the United States since colonial days, same town and everything, and my paternal grandmother was from Estonia. My mother’s family’s is all Irish, only in the United States for a handful of generations.” Whether she did it because she was cold, or not, Sandor didn’t know, but the girl inched closer. “I was actually born while my parents were on vacation in Estonia, visiting my grandmother. I’ve got dual citizenship and an Estonian passport.”

“Small world lass, I’ve got dual citizenship too, and thank the gods, Americans get lots of shit while traveling but I can always say I’m from Scotland.” Sansa nodded, and he could tell she was getting tired. The violent wind was still in the background, and the sweet girl beside him was now curled up to him. It took him a few silent minutes, and a soft snore out of her, to realize the girl had fallen asleep.

He let the wind and the warm body beside him lure him to sleep himself, waking up once in the middle of the night to find Sansa in his arms, he quickly fell back to sleep.


End file.
